Jockeys died in harbour crash

A former National Hunt jockey was three-and-a-half times over the drink-drive limit when his car plunged into a harbour following an after hours pub session, an inquest was told yesterday.

Ridley Lamb, 39, who won the Cheltenham Gold Cup on The Thinker in 1987, had drunk the equivalent of a gallon of beer before the accident at Seahouses, Northumberland.Alan Merrigan, 29, another jockey, also died in the accident last July. Verdicts of accidental death were recorded.