Declan Berry, of Wisbech, was told to slow down moments before his car plunged into the the River Nene, killing him and sixteen-year-old rear passenger, Eden Bunn.

Mr Berry, 18, was travelling at the excessive speed when his Volkswagen Polo hit a pothole on North Brink, Wisbech, and rolled down an embankment into the water, the hearing heard.

Declan Berry's family and friends laid tributes and waited for news as searches of the River Nene were carried out for his body. (Image: Sarah Cliss)

None of his family was at the hearing at Vantage House in Huntingdon, which heard that Mr Berry drowned after the March 17 crash.

His body was recovered from the river nearly two weeks later at the town’s marina.

A police officer called to identify the body confirmed it was Mr Berry due to an unusual tattoo on the back of his neck and his clothing.

Police investigator James Mills concluded that speed was the main factor in the crash, while the pothole-riddled road, with crumbling edges and an uneven surface, also contributed.

Cambridgeshire area coroner Elizabeth Gray heard that the........

© Eastern Daily Press