A tanker driver who caused the death of a cyclist has avoided jail.

Nicholas Gray, 59, of Coopers Lane, Fordcombe, near Tunbridge Wells, had admitted causing David Adlam's death by careless driving.

Mr Adlam, 62, and from Southborough, died on July 17, 2018, after he was struck on the B2176 Penshurst Road, between Bidborough and Penshurst.

Maidstone Crown Court heard that Gray's tanker struck a hedge, pushing the wing mirror out of position so he didn't have a clear view to his nearside for a mile-and-a-half.

Prosecutor Patrick Dennis said: "At around 6.30pm, David Adlam was cycling on the B2176 which is the Penshurst Road in Tonbridge.

"The defendant was driving an Isuzu NQR tanker lorry on the same road. There was a collision and Mr Adlam tragically died at the scene.

"At a point where the defendant believed he had passed the bicycle he pulled in. However, he had misjudged where the bicycle was.

"This caused the lorry to strike the bicycle and Mr Adlam was thrown beneath the wheels of the lorry and tragically killed."

The prosecutor added: "Pertinently, the lorry’s nearside wing mirror was bent inwards at the time of the collision, rendering it temporarily useless.

"It is the prosecution case that is why the defendant did not see Mr Adlam and pulled in too early.

"Mr Adlam was cycling quite safely and properly, nothing about his cycling is open to criticism," added Mr Dennis.

He told the court that the lorry's brakes were also defective but added that it had not contributed to the death crash.

'I'm still angry his life was taken away so needlessly doing something he so loved.'

Defence barrister John Dye said: "Tragedy is an overused word but what happened was a true tragedy. The defendant feels guilt and shame."

Retired Mr Adlam had been a member of a cycling club, riding two or three times a week and enjoying biking holidays in the Pyrenees.

His sister Susan Willby told the court of her devastation and shock at his untimely death.

"I'm still angry his life was taken away so needlessly doing something he so loved," she told the court.

Clare Adlam described her father as her 'confidante and best friend'.

'I hope it's clear that I am sorry for your loss. I can assure you that I am terrified when I am out on my bike.'

"He was reliable, supportive and always just a call away. Losing him in this way is like losing a part of myself," she said.

Judge Jeremy Donne QC, a keen cyclist, told Mr Adlam's family that he has quit riding on the road after suffering a number of accidents.

He said: "I hope it's clear that I am sorry for your loss. I can assure you that I am terrified when I am out on my bike.

"And after my last accident I have stopped riding my road bike."

Gray was given a nine-month jail sentence suspended for 18 months, a three-month curfew and ordered to pay £1,000 court costs.

He was also banned from driving for 15 months.

The judge also criticised Gray's bosses for their "cavalier" attitude towards vehicle safety after hearing staff claim that telling them about a brake problem was like "talking to a wall".