A lorry driver has been sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison for killing a motorist in a motorway pile-up.

Anton Maizen crashed his 40-ton lorry into a queue of traffic on the clockwise M25, killing 79-year-old Ronald Moughton from Lowbrook Road in Ilford.

Mr Moughton's 59-year-old son Keith, also from Ilford, was injured in the smash, which happened near Aveley in Essex at around 12.30pm on Tuesday April 2.

A 47-year-old woman from Basildon, who was driving a Mercedes A-Class, also suffered serious injuries.

Both are still recovering at home.

Maizen, a 58-year-old German national from Wixhausen, pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving at a hearing in July.

He was sentenced on Friday.

A spokesman for Essex police said: "Anton Maizen regularly drove lorries in the UK on this route.

"He had been at work for nearly 23 hours and driving for nearly 15 hours of this 23 without a break, thereby putting himself and other road users in danger.

"The 840-mile journey had begun in Germany, with Maizen entering the UK via Folkestone.

"He then drove to south London, before continuing on his way to Lincolnshire.

"He was returning to the Channel Tunnel when the crash took place on the M25."

He added: "During his police interviews, Anton Maizen was unable to explain why he struck the rear of the queue at his maximum speed of 56mph.

"He hit a BMW, which contained a mother and her young son, propelling it into another lane and into the path of a lorry."

Senior Investigating Officer, Inspector Keith Whiting, added: "We believe drivers and owners of foreign and British commercial lorries will take note from this tragic incident that those who disregard the law and the safety of vulnerable people in smaller vehicles around them will be brought to justice, face a prison sentence and a lengthy disqualification.

"We also believe that people who were disrupted for several hours as a result of this crash will appreciate that the complex and meticulous investigation undertaken by Essex Police’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit was justified and has successfully brought a driver to justice for causing one death and serious injury of two other road users.”

Anton Maizen was also disqualified from driving for five years and ordered to take an extended driving test in order to regain his licence.