A Tunbridge Wells man who left a woman in a wheelchair after colliding with her car while travelling on the wrong side of the road has been jailed.

Peter Harris, of Scotts Way, caused the three-car smash on the A26 at Heron's Ghyll near Uckfield in June.

Margaret Pattenden, 70, of Rotherfield, swerved to avoid Harris' Volkswagen Golf which had crossed the solid double white lines in the centre of the road.

However her Nissan Note collided with a row of trees and was also hit by a car driven by a 67-year-old man from Uckfield, who — along with 33-year-old Harris — suffered minor injuries.

Mrs Patterson sustained serious spinal injuries. She now requires a wheelchair.

"Harris was sentenced to three years imprisonment, however the victim will need life-long care and assistance" — PC Richard Hobbs

Harris was also banned from driving for three years.

PC Richard Hobbs, of the East Sussex Roads Policing Unit, said: "The victim in this case suffered horrendous injuries; ones that she will have to live with for the rest of her life.

"Peter Harris drove his vehicle that day in a dangerous manner, he lost control, crossed onto the opposing carriageway and collided with two other vehicles. His actions, and the victim's injuries, were entirely avoidable. Harris was sentenced to three years imprisonment, however the victim will need life-long care and assistance.

"We will continue to relentlessly pursue drivers who drive in a dangerous manner, and I hope that this sentence will act as a deterrent to those who flout the law. I would urge people to report dangerous drivers via Operation Crackdown by visiting www.operationcrackdown.co.uk."

Mrs Pattenden's son Ian said: "We'd like to thank the emergency services and the hundreds of people involved in mum's care since 25 June 2015. It really is a miracle that she didn't die that day and we're all grateful that she has been able to regain some quality of life, although she'll never be the same again and it wasn't the start to her retirement that any of us wanted.

"All that can be said of the crime itself is that double white lines in the middle of main roads mean "do not cross” under any circumstances.

"We hope to move on from this now and concentrate on getting mum finally settled back in her village and help her to have the best retirement possible, under the circumstances.”