A TEENAGER who died behind the wheel of a stolen car collided with a total of three vehicles after miles of "erratic driving" an inquest has heard.

John Smith of Clare Road, Malvern, died from multiple injuries after a crash in Hampton, on the A44 Worcester to Evesham Road, on Saturday September 1, 2001.

Witnesses at Worcestershire County Coroners Court, Stourport, described how the 14-year-old reached speeds of around 80mph, forced one driver into a roundabout, hit another vehicle twice on its bumper before the final fatal collision at 8.17am.

He was being followed by a police 4x4 at the time of the crash.

Smith had run off from a care home with another boy, who cannot be named, the previous evening, disobeying his police curfew orders to remain indoors at night.

His dangerous journey began on Saturday morning after driving the stolen Ford Escort from Malvern where witnesses saw him "driving very erratically" across the road and "nearly clipping kerbs", travelling along the A449 towards the outskirts of Worcester.

One driver, Nigel Lee described his horror as they approached behind him in Temeside Way, eventually forcing him to swerve into a roundabout before they sped off along the A44 towards Evesham and he phoned the police.

"He went up the back of me and I put my fog lights on to warn them off," he said.

"They had already clipped me once before they cut across me and I went into the island to avoid them."

Stunned pedestrians estimated their speed in Pershore High Street to be between 60mph to 80mph.

April Millington described her horror as she saw the two young boys approaching.

"It was going really fast and it was going out of control," she said. "It was bizarre, they were just about peering above the dashboard, I felt frightened when they went through."

Witnesses said a police vehicle began following the stolen car through Pershore and was between 650 to 860 yards behind it.

At the time when the second vehicle was hit - a Mitsubishi Shogun, just before Hampton - Insp Mark Ellis, from West Mercia police, who was force control inspector that morning, said the police vehicle was following around 110 yards away travelling at 50mph. He said at no stage did it become a pursuit.

"We kept well back at a suitable distance, bearing in mind the age of the driver," he said.

The inquest continues.