A TURKISH lorry driver has been banned from roads in the UK for six months following a crash near Ipswich.Yenifakili Demirtas sent a car spinning four or five times along the A12 near Capel St.

A TURKISH lorry driver has been banned from roads in the UK for six months following a crash near Ipswich.

Yenifakili Demirtas sent a car spinning four or five times along the A12 near Capel St. Mary when he pulled out to overtake, a court heard.

It was a lucky escape for the woman driver and her son who were miraculously uninjured in the smash which happened at around lunchtime on Thursday .

Prosecuting Anita Addison told South East Suffolk Magistrates court how Demirtas' 50 tonne lorry had smashed into a Toyota Celica car as it was in the process of overtaking.

The lorry was carrying one caravan and trailing a second caravan at the time of the accident.

Mrs Addison told the court: "The defendant was travelling in a line of lorries travelling in the near side lane.

" saw him pull sharply to the offside lane. She was worried that he would hit her or she would go underneath the lorry so she accelerated to try and get out of his way.

"She was unfortunate that he continued to pull out and she had no way of getting past and he struck the near side of her car with quite a force."

Mrs Addison described how the car span 360 degrees after the impact and then continued to spin another four or five times.

Demirtas was arrested by police at the scene after his tacograph records showed that he had not taken his weekly rest break and had been working for 11 days straight.

He was charged and pleaded guilty to careless driving and a tacograph offence of failing to have a rest period. A charge of dangerous driving was withdrawn.

Ian Persaud, defending Demirtas said that although he had not taken his required weekly rest, he had adhered to daily rests making sure that he had at least nine hours between driving stints.

He added that Demirtas was not suffering from tiredness when the crash happened and described it as a pure accident, mainly to do with the positioning of his mirrors and the fact that his vehicle was left hand drive and he could not see the car alongside his lorry when he pulled out.

Mr Persaud said: "He had no opportunity of seeing her because she was forward of his mirrors.

"If he had been in a right hand drive in the cab he may have looked down and seen them.

"What he could not see he could not avoid and accordingly the accident happened."

Demirtas, 46, now lives in Holland and has been driving for 27 years. The court heard that this was his first accident.

He was fined £500, but as he had spent 24 hours in custody that fine was considered paid. He was also given a six month disqualification which will prevent him driving in Britain.

Chairman of the bench Sue Humphries said: "It was very lucky that no-one was injured.

"With a left hand drive vehicle it is more difficult but you should be extra careful.

"It was a large lorry and you drive for a living."