The inquest into the death of an ambulance patient and a driver following a crash shortly before Christmas last year has opened. 

Anthony Dawbarn and Jane Blampied died on December 21 last year, after being involved in a crash in Bury Road in Newmarket.

Emergency services were called to the scene of an accident on the B1506 Bury Road in Newmarket at around 7.30pm on December 19 last year.

Inquests were opened into their deaths at Suffolk Coroners’ Court in Ipswich on Friday. 

The court heard that Mr Dawbarn, 93, from Newmarket, was the passenger of a private ambulance.

The court heard that the ambulance “drifted” into the path of oncoming traffic, resulting in a collision with another vehicle.

The second car, a blue Volkswagen Golf, was being driven by Ms Blampied, who resided in Stanton, Bury St Edmunds.

At the time, Suffolk Police asked for any witnesses of the crash to contact them to provide information about what happened.

Both Mr Dawbarn and Ms Blampied were taken to Addenbrookes Hospital. They both died from their injuries days later.

It was reported that the female driver of the ambulance also suffered serious injuries. The second passenger of the ambulance, a woman, is thought to have suffered minor injuries.