A MAN once dubbed "Britain's most prolific car crook" died after causing a five car pile-up near Dursley.

Andrew Winter, 34, was more than twice over the drink-drive limit and was not wearing his seatbelt when he lost control of his VW Golf, a Gloucester inquest was told.

Winter, 34, was jailed in 2006 after he admitted breaking into nearly a thousand cars.

He then became a poacher-turned-gamekeeper when he was taken on as an adviser to the British car insurance industry.

County coroner Alan Crickmore heard that the engine of Winter's car was found 42 metres away from the rest of his vehicle after the crash on January 19 this year.

No other drivers were seriously injured even though three cars were written off.

An accidental death verdict was recorded on Winter, of Rosebery Road, Dursley.

The coroner heard that Winter was driving along the B4066, from Dursley towards the A38, and lost control as he was going down Tait's Hill Road.

Emma Squirrel, who was driving her Peugeot 206 up Tait's Hill towards Dursley, had just passed some roadworks and was starting to go around a right hand bend when a car came towards her at "way above the speed limit". She thought the driver had lost control.

"As it went by I heard tyres screeching and I knew it would not make the corner. In my mirror I saw it collide with the car behind and there was a loud bang," she said.

Thomas Palmer's Vauxhall Corsa was directly behind the Peugeot when he was suddenly dazzled by headlights.

"There was no time to do anything before a big impact," he said. "I had to climb out through the passenger door."

Vehicle examiners could find nothing wrong with any of the cars.

PC Darren Williams, collision investigator, said the Golf had been involved in three impacts, and had suffered severe damage.

Its engine had become detached and was found 42 metres away from the rest of the car. It had not been possible to establish the Golf's speed he said, but witnesses had said it was travelling at high speed and this was supported by the amount of damage. He said the maximum safe speed the bend could be taken at was 79mph.

Mr Crickmore was told Winter had not been wearing a seatbelt, and he had died from multiple injuries.

Toxicology tests showed he had nearly two-and-a-half times the legal driving limit of alcohol in his blood, and the inquest was told this would have impaired his driving.

Mr Crickmore said: "Mr Winter was drunk and he was not wearing a seatbelt. He braked when he realised he was not going to be able to keep on the road but it was too late. He was effectively already out of control. The reality of this incident was someone driving in a foolish fashion while drunk and he died as the result of his actions."

■ At Gloucester Crown Court in 2006, Winter was said to be "addicted" to motor crime and able to break into almost any car in seconds using techniques police had never come across before.

At that hearing he admitted handling two stolen Mercedes cars and asked for an astonishing 915 car break-ins to be taken into consideration. The court was told the Motor Insurance Research Centre was consulting with Winter to learn the tricks of his trade so that manufacturers could build safer cars.