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A judge has criticised the maximum prison sentence for dangerous driving as "woefully inadequate" after jailing a man for 16 months.

Grant Parr, 25, was four times over the drug-drive limit for cocaine when he caused a four-car crash on the A65 near Skipton, North Yorkshire in April.

Passing sentence at Bradford Crown Court, Judge Jonathan Rose criticised the maximum jail term of two years.

He described Parr's driving "as bad as one could ever see on a British road".

Parr, of St Andrew's Close, Yeadon, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and drug driving and his plea meant the judge had to give him a one-third reduction on the two-year prison term.

"Your case illustrates if any further illustration was needed in these courts that the maximum sentence for the offence of dangerous driving of two years is woefully inadequate," said Judge Rose.

Flipped over

The court heard how Parr was seen overtaking vehicles at up to 90mph in his Seat Leon on the 60mph stretch of road near to the Chelker Reservoir.

Prosecutor Philip Adams told the court Parr was overtaking a line of three vehicles on a sweeping left-hand bend when he crashed into an on-coming Renault Clio containing a father and daughter.

The Seat then struck a Lexus and the court heard that a Volvo, also containing a father and daughter, was flipped over and ended up on its roof.

"By some miracle there were no serious injuries as far as any of the occupants of the three other vehicles were concerned," said Mr Adams.

Barrister Alasdair Campbell, for Parr, said his client realised he was lucky to be here and everybody else involved was lucky they were not killed or more seriously injured.

Parr was given a driving ban of four years and eight months.