A pregnant woman passenger feared for the life of her unborn child – after her car was hit head-on by a drink-driver on a blind bend.

She later relived the horror moment saying she feared she was suffering from double vision when confronted by two sets of headlights.

Pharmacy dispenser Ellie Murphy and mum-to-be Sophie Payne were both injured when a driver overtook a vehicle on the wrong side of the road.

Ms Payne, who was 33 weeks into her pregnancy, revealed that when the airbags deployed she felt a burning sensation inside her stomach and could not longer feel the child.

Prosecutor Ian Foinette told Canterbury Crown Court how she was taken to the William Harvey Hospital and given tests to ensure the child was still alive.

Ali Osman, 23, a former Ashford schoolboy who now lives in Derby, admitted driving dangerously and under the influence of alcohol was jailed for 10 months and banned from driving for 18 months.

Judge Simon James told him: “You overtook on a blind bend with no apparent concern for the safety of yourself or others.

“Others said they were scared about the erratic way you were driving even before the crash. "There were also fears that your reckless and dangerous actions might have caused injuries to the unborn child.”

Mr Foinette said that at 10.30pm on May 12 last year Andrew Leech was driving on the A259 towards Lydd.

“He had behind him a Vauxhall Corsa driven by Osman which was causing him concern. "It had its headlights on but was so close he couldn’t see them in his rearview mirror.

“It was plain the Corsa driver was trying to overtake and both vehicles then came on some ‘S’ bends. "The overtaking manoeuvre by Osman was on a blind bend.”

He said the Corsa then collided head-on with a VW with the two women inside.

Motorcyclist Daniel Hart later told police that Osman’s driving was “terrible” and he was “swerving all over the place and bouncing from kerb to kerb”.

Mr Hart said after the collision the two women climbed out of the VW “and both were hysterical and in shock. One of the women was pregnant and she was shaking and crying. She was a mess.”

Mr Foinette said Ms Murphy was heading home from working in Ashford with her friend, Ms Payne.

Airbags were set off during the collision. Ms Murphy, who suffered injuries to her arm, neck and back, made sure her friend was okay after climbing out through a window.

She has since suffered from nightmares and changed jobs to avoid driving in the dark.

Ms Payne said: “I felt no movement in my stomach and it caused me to feel scared.”

Doctors were able to confirm the baby was okay, although she was treated for injuries to her hips and back and has also been “having dreams reliving what had happened.”