A TEENAGE couple who died in a motorbike crash had taken cannabis, an inquest heard.

Abbey Parker, 17, and Brad Cooper, 18, both students at Basildon’s Prospects College, died when their blue Yamaha motorcycle was in collision with a tractor in Lower Burnham Road, North Fambridge, in September last year.

The crash happened at about 9.35am, while the couple were on their way to the 13th annual Essex Air Ambulance Motorcycle Run from Laindon to Harwich.

At an inquest in Chelmsford, PC Dave Howard said: “It would appear both used cannabis material at some point prior to this incident, but it is not possible to determine how long before and quite what the effects might have been.”

Motorbike enthusiast Mr Cooper, who was studying for an apprenticeship qualification at the college, was riding the motorbike he had got for his 17th birthday, with hairdresser Abbey, from Mayland, as his pillion passenger.

Witnesses at the inquest said the red tractor, driven by Simon Rampling, had turned across the road into a field when the motorbike came round the corner.

The inquest heard Mr Cooper, who lived in South Woodham Ferrers, applied his brakes, but clipped the tractor’s trailer before colliding head-on with another tractor, owned by Dengie Crops.

PC Howard said the maximum safe speed at that point was between 52mph and 56mph, but Mr Cooper was travelling faster.

Essex coroner Caroline Beasley-Murray recorded a verdict the couple died as a result of a road traffic collision.