A VAN driver has been jailed after admitting causing 'catastrophic' injuries to a mother and daughter from Brecon.

Dad-to-be Sion Taylor, 25, was jailed for 16 months after admitting two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving in the first case of its kind to be heard at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court.

Taylor was travelling on the wrong side of the main A470 after exiting the Cefn Coed roundabout at Merthyr Tydfil, heading towards Brecon on July 19 last year.

After leaving the roundabout he overtook a car without incident but then continued on the wrong side of the road for 30 seconds thinking he was on a dual carriageway.

He narrowly missed an oncoming 4x4 by swerving back into his on lane, but lost control of his Vauxhall Astra van and ploughed into the car being driven by Ann Watkins who was in the line of traffic behind it.

Ms Watkins and her passenger, daughter Emma Hatton, were seriously injured in the crash.

An earlier court hearing was told the injuries they suffered were about as close to fatal as was possible.

Francis Jones, defending, said what had happened was 'catastrophic' but asked the court to consider suspended sentence.

"He did not deliberately drive on the wrong side," he said.

Jailing Taylor for 16 month, Judge Richard Twomlow said: "To explain the victims' injuries as life changing would not be a exaggeration."

Taylor, of Maes Hyfryd, Llangefni, Anglesey, was disqualified from driving for four years and will have to sit an extended driving test.

Inspector Carwyn Evans of the South Wales Police Roads Policing Unit said: "This was a very dangerous piece of driving which left two people with life changing injuries they were lucky to survive.

"This is a new offence which aims to close the gaps between the sentencing powers already available and the first time this offence has been sentenced at this crown court.

"I would like to thank those who assisted at the scene and who came forward as witnesses, and police colleagues who assisted in this investigation. The defendant's early guilty plea also ensured the two victims did not have to come to court.

"I hope the two ladies can recover in due course."