A farmer who flipped his car during a high-speed police chase had driven over a stinger moments before the crash, an inquest heard.

Ian Smith, 43, died in hospital on May 29 last year, six days after a police pursuit ended with him crashing his car off the A47 at Little Fransham.

An inquest into his death heard that Mr Smith, of March, had been wanted by police in Cambridgeshire but was pursued by Norfolk officers after being located across the border.

The court heard he was wanted on suspicion of a domestic offence and that it was believed he had a shotgun and a handgun in his possession.

After his car, a Citroen C3, was located by the police at shortly after 5pm on May 23, Mr Smith sped away, leading offices in pursuit along the A47.

He spent around eight minutes attempting to flee officers, performing several "dangerous" overtaking manoeuvres along the way, forcing other drivers off the road in the process.

But shortly after driving over a stinger device, his car flipped off the road and onto the verge.

At the height of the pursuit, both vehicles were travelling at 70mph through the 40mph village.

The court was shown dashcam and body camera footage from officers involved in the pursuit.

Following the crash, he was taken to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, but died following complications from his injuries days later.

In a statement, his father Paul Smith said: "He was my eldest child and only son and I am proud to have been his father.

"This was a tragic waste of somebody in the prime of his life who would have gone on the achieve so much more.

"Nobody will ever know what he was thinking or be able to explain his actions that day."

The inquest continues.