Tom Voyce was almost three times legal alcohol limit when swept to his death in car

Ex-England rugby star Tom Voyce's inquest is taking place today following his death aged 43 in December last year when his car was swept away during Storm Darragh

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Former England rugby player Tom Voyce had almost three times the legal limit of alcohol in his blood when his vehicle was swept away in a ford during Storm Darragh, an inquest heard today.

Pathologist Dr Clive Bloxham carried out a post mortem examination on the former international, 43, after he was reported missing on December 8 last year, the hearing in Morpeth, Northumberland was told.

He had been out shooting during the day with his brother-in-law Hugh Wood before they headed to the Queen's Head in Glanton, Northumberland after the shoot at around 6pm on December 7.

He left the pub at around 11.45pm and his wife Anna, 42, reported him missing next day, the inquest heard. Dr Bloxham said the pathology report showed that Voyce had 215 mgs per 100ml of blood. The legal limit is 80 mgs per 100 mls of blood, he said.

He told senior coroner for Northumberland Andrew Hetherington: "The toxicology report found no drugs but he did have a high blood alcohol reading, it was 215 mgs per 100 mls of alcohol in his blood.

"The legal limit is 80mgs so the level was over two and a half times and nearly three times over that limit. Even with the possibility of tolerance, in drinking alcohol to this level you would have expected it to have impaired his co-ordination and judgement.

"You would expect him to have a significant degree of intoxication and it will have impaired his decision making prior to his death."

He added: "I don't think it has directly contributed to his cause of death but it was a significant finding in its own right."

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He concluded that the cause of death was immersion in the water, with other injuries to his hands and feet consistent with drowning after having been in the water for several days.

Voyce's body was recovered by a Northumbria Police diving team on December 12, the inquest heard, around 700 metres from where the former wing's Toyota Hilux was found submerged four days earlier in the River Aln, Northumberland.

The police search of the River Aln revealed his car, which was unoccupied, had been swept downstream from the ford at Abberwick "as a result of storm water."

Voyce's brother-in-law Hugh Wood said they had been out shooting on the day before his death. But the shooting party was delayed due to the heavy rainfall.

He had last seen Voyce at around 11.45pm in the Queen's Head when he went to the toilet, and Voyce had left when he returned to the bar.

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He confirmed that the nearby roads were waterlogged by the heavy rain, and thought Voyce would have had a journey of around eight miles to get home.

After his death, Voyce's widow said in a statement: "Absolutely devastated and heartbroken doesn't even describe how we feel. My main focus now is our son Oscar."

Voyce started his senior playing career at Bath, then spent six years with Wasps where he helped them win European and domestic titles, before leaving to join Gloucester in 2009.

He won nine caps for England and made 220 Premiership appearances before retiring in May 2013. The inquest continues and is expected to conclude later today.