Cannabis could have had a significant effect on the awareness of a Monmouth motorcyclist who died in a head-on crash with a van in France, an inquest heard yesterday.

Father-of-two Toby Herbert had been on a week's holiday in France in April and had just visited his parents - who live there - when the accident happened near Jouet in the Champagne region.

Gloucestershire Coroner Alan Crickmore recorded a verdict of accidental death after he heard that Mr Herbert 39, of Jordan Gardens, Monmouth, had used cannabis within 48 hours before his death and this could have distorted his perception of what was going on around him.

"It is not unusual for British drivers to turn onto a road in a foreign country and forget that they should be driving on the right," the coroner said.

"I am satisfied that Mr Herbert did so and that his actions may have been exacerbated by the consumption of cannabis."

In a statement to the Gloucester inquest, van driver Daniel Glomot said he had been driving towards Jouet when a motorbike came out of a side road and was ridden straight towards him on the wrong side of the road.

"He was not driving too fast but he had his head down in the racing position and did not make any attempt to avoid me," he said.

"I tried to take avoiding action but there was a violent impact."

Gendarme Pascal Devalier said that the motorcycle rider had been riding as if he was in Britain, against the flow of traffic.

"His vigilance could have been affected by cannabis, traces of which were found in his blood," the gendarme said.

French biologist Dr Jean Gaulier said cannabis taken 24 to 48 hours before the accident could have affected Mr Herbert's behaviour.