A lorry driver has admitted being distracted by his sat nav when he swerved across Jubilee Way in Dover and caused a crash which killed two Canterbury men.

Romanian Traian Soare, 51, was at the wheel of his yellow Volvo HGV which crossed double white lines before ploughing into an oncoming Nissan Qashqai in July.

Victims driver Artem Larionov, 29, and pal Nikita Tsirelson, 38, both from Love Lane, Canterbury who were in the Nissan, died at the scene.

Soare revealed for the first time at his sentencing hearing at Canterbury Crown Court he was distracted by the sat nav as he entered the Port of Dover.

Now the lorry driver has been jailed for two years and banned from driving for two years and seven months after he admitted two charges of causing death by driving dangerously.

Canterbury Crown Court heard from the wife of Mr Tsirelson about the effects of the tragedy on their child.

Mum-of-two Julia Lakshina’s moving victim impact statement was read by prosecutor Catherine Donnelly.

She said: “I can still feel my heart drop. I had to hold myself together not to scare my little girl. I tried as hard as I could it was so painful.

“All the body spasms and the guts turn inside out... when everyone left I could just scream.”

The prosecutor said the accident happened at 11.54pm on July 2 and was witnessed by two police firearms officers on duty.

They were following the Romanian-registered lorry down towards the Port of Dover along Jubilee Way when it veered across double white lines and struck the oncoming hired Nissan.

"For reasons, which until today, were impossible to identify, you drove onto the wrong side of the road, into their path, giving them no escape" - Judge Rupert Lowe

After being arrested Soare said he had left Dagenham two hours earlier but had not been to the Port of Dover before.

He denied being distracted before the accident but then refused to answer any more questions on how the crash had happened.

But defence barrister Roy Talbott said the driver was distracted by his sat nav as he was driving along Jubilee Way.

“He knows that his bad driving has caused unbearable and overwhelming distress to two families. He feels genuine remorse," he said.

Judge Rupert Lowe told Soare: “Two young men, both integral members of close and loving families, were driving lawfully and responsibly out of the Port of Dover when they were killed by your HGV.

“For reasons, which until today, were impossible to identify, you drove onto the wrong side of the road, into their path, giving them no escape.

“Today you told the court that you were distracted by your sat nav system in that you were concentrating on the display, so you failed to notice the direction in which you were driving."

After the hearing, Sergeant Christopher Wade said: "When driving a lorry - or any kind of vehicle - is your profession, there is a responsibility placed your shoulders to ensure your driving is of the highest standards.

"In this case, by driving into the oncoming lane without any good reason, Soare had failed to adhere to a basic level of driving and it led to the most tragic of consequences. It is something he will have to carry for the rest of his life.

"My thoughts are with the family of the two men who have lost their lives, and I thank them for their support throughout the case."