A coach driver has been jailed for FOUR years this morning for causing the deaths of two people by driving dangerously on the outskirts of Canterbury in July last year.

Pauline Camplin, 50, of St Mary’s Close, Nonington was also banned from driving until 2021 after admitting two charges.

The crash in Harbledown killed Canterbury estate agent Rachel Francis, 38, and her 40-year-old partner, Bryan Webster.

Today, the couple's bereaved families were told that the driver responsible had little recollection of the crash.

A judge was told that Camplin could only remember a "flash of red" before the fatal accident.

The National Express coach – with 50 passengers on board – had been “steered or veered” over the central white line and into the path of oncoming cars.

Two vehicles managed to miss the coach but the BMW was struck, sending it spinning into the path of a half-tonne tyre lorry.

Mr Webster died at the scene – on the second anniversary of his father’s death – and Ms Francis, who was celebrating her 38 birthday, later died from her injuries after being airlifted to a London hospital.

The couple had been travelling to Wales for a wedding.

Mr Webster's uncle Barry Webster said the family was devastated.

He said it was two years to the day of her husband's death when a policeman knocked on Mr Webster's mother Sarah's door to break the news.

Camplin pleaded guilty to two charges of causing death by dangerous driving.

Prosecutor Alex Rooke told Canterbury Crown Court that mother-of-one Ms Camplin had started work at 3.30am in July last year.

After driving from Dover to London she was doing a return journey when the crash happened.

An eight-second video from the coach’s onboard CCTV was shown to the judge at an earlier hearing.

Mr Rooke said the cause of the accident “remained a mystery” and there was no question of drugs or drink playing a part.

"Nothing that I can say nor any sentence I can pass can in any way diminish the anguish, the loss, the grief of the families and friends of both victims have suffered and will continue to suffer" - Judge AdeleWilliams

John Fitzgerald, defending, said Camplin was genuinely remorseful and wished she could turn back the clocks.

“July 10 was a day of tragedy for all those concerned,” he said.

In a letter to the victims' families, the coach driver said: "I want to take this opportunity to say how truly sorry I am for my part in the accident.

"If I could change the events of that day I would. Unfortunately I can’t. I cannot begin to imagine how you must be feeling at this time and all you have had to deal with for the past year.

"Unfortunately those few seconds of that terrible accident are a blank. I can’t offer an explanation. It is something that will live with me for as long as I live."

But Judge Adele Williams ruled that Camplin had been “distracted to a significant degree” to have gone into the oncoming lane.

She said Camplin had shown “genuine remorse” but will have to live with the consequences of what she had done for the rest of her life.

The judge said Ms Francis, a partner at Ward and Partners, was “a loving and much loved daughter whose loss is hard to bear”.

She added: “She was a valued friend and work colleague. She was described by her mother as funny, articulate, thoughtful, intelligent, bold and confident."

Judge Williams said Mr Webster was regarded as “the sunshine in the life” of his widowed mother and had had been a “very great support”.

Camplin, who had an impeccable 10 year driving record with National Express, was also banned from driving until 2021.

The judge added: “Nothing that I can say nor any sentence I can pass can in any way diminish the anguish, the loss, the grief of the families and friends of both victims have suffered and will continue to suffer."

After sentencing, investigating officer PC Jamie Woodhams said: "This was a tragic incident where a moment’s lapse of concentration cost two people their lives.

"It brings home the necessity for drivers, and in particular professional drivers, to maintain focus at all times when travelling on Kent’s roads."