A JUDGE who jailed a sleeping driver after he caused a horrific crash said lessons should have been learned more than a decade ago, after the Selby rail disaster.

Paul Owens’ barrister told told a court that the case ought to be a “salutary lesson” to people who think it is okay to get behind the wheel when they are tired.

But Judge Howard Crowson said that the Great Heck tragedy in 2001 - which claimed the lives of ten people - should have pricked the public conscience long ago.

He said the calamity in North Yorkshire - and the thousands of warnings along the country’s roads about the dangers of driving without a rest - should have hit home.

It is now just more than 16 years since Gary Hart fell asleep at the wheel of his LandRover on the M62 south of Selby, North Yorkshire, and plunged onto the track, causing catastrophic carnage.

Hart tried to reverse the vehicle - which had been towing a trailer - off the lines, but could not, jumped out and tried to call the emergency services.

A southbound InterCity 225, travelling at 117mph from Newcastle to Kings Cross, London, hit the vehicle, and was deflected into the path of a fully-laden freight train carrying 1,600 tonnes of coal in the opposite direction.

The drivers of both trains, two crew from the passenger service, and six commuters were killed in the collision - the worst in the UK in the 21st Century.

Hart - a married construction worker, then aged 37 - was jailed for five years after being convicted of ten charges of causing death by dangerous driving.

Dad-of-two Owens, 32, of Enderby Street, Middlesbrough, was locked up for two years on Thursday after he admitted causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

Teesside Crown Court heard how the landscaper had been in France for the Euro 2016 football tournament, and made an overnight cross-Channel journey with friends.

After a sleep-deprived trip, Owens dozed off at the wheel of his Ford Transit van, veered over onto the wrong side of the road and caused a four-vehicle collision.

The crash on the A172 between Middlesbrough and Stokesley, North Yorkshire, happened during rush-hour in June last year - and left three people badly injured.

The most badly hurt was his front seat passenger - the fiancée of his friend - as all three of them returned from Calais to the North-East, via Dover, Kent.

Mike Bristow, from road safety charity Brake, said: “Tired driving is a major killer on UK roads.

“Taking regular breaks is essential to tackling the problem.

“We advise all drivers to take a break of at least 15 minutes every two hours. If you feel sleepy, you should pull over somewhere and safe and have a nap.

“However, there is no substitute for a good night’s sleep – this is the only way to be sure of staying safe, so we would encourage all drivers to plan their journeys, and not set off in a car if they are tired or expect to become sleepy.”

Judge Crowson said: “It’s more than ten years since we dealt with what happened at Selby, and from that day onwards, people knew the dangers, and the signs said so.

“There are warning signs all over the road network against driving while tired . . . people need to understand that driving while too tired is dangerous.”