Andrew Acton, 29, of Croston Road, Garstang, was also banned from driving for five years for causing the "epic tragedy".

Purchase ledger clerk, Beverly Parson, 44, was hundreds of miles from home and no-one knows why, or where she was travelling to, when her Rover was hit by Acton who was twice over the alcohol limit.

Preston Crown Court heard how it also remained a mystery why Acton had got behind the wheel of his Renault Scenic at around 3am, in May last year.

He had walked to his local and then walked home but got into his car later on.

Acton's vehicle was on the opposite side of the road when it crashed head-on into Miss Parson's Rover on the A6 bypass, Lancaster Road, Catterall, near Garstang.

Prosecutor Mr Michael Hayton said there were no eye-witnesses and, when emergency services arrived, both drivers were unconscious.

Despite the efforts of doctors, mother-of-two Miss Parson, from Cardiff, died less than two hours later. "It is not clear why Beverly Parson was on that road. She was a long way from home," Mr Hayton told the court.

Her family, he explained, had agonised over why she was visiting the north west.

One theory was that she had previously holidayed in Blackpool and may have been planning a surprise treat for her daughter who was soon to be 13.

Acton, a father-of-two, pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and driving while over the prescribed limit for alcohol.
His barrister, Mr Mark Stephenson, said it remained a mystery why he
had driven after returning from the pub.

He had no recollection following the accident, which left him with several breaks to his leg and a permanent limp. He spent five weeks in hospital.

The case, added Mr Stephenson, was an "epic tragedy", especially for the dead woman and her family, which "haunted" Acton.