A LORRY driver who fell asleep at the wheel and crashed into a workmen's safety vehicle was "seconds away" from causing a catastrophe on the M5 in Worcester, a court was told.

Krzysztof Decowski drove into the back of a vehicle moving slowly to protect workmen replacing cones in the early hours of the morning on the northbound M5 between junctions 7 (Worcester south) and 6 (Worcester north).

He came to just in time to swerve and bring his 26 tonne rigid lorry to a halt by the central reservation and neither he or the driver of the motorway vehicle was hurt, Christopher Lester, prosecuting, told Worcester Crown Court.

Decowski pleaded guilty to one charge of dangerous driving and was sent to crown court by magistrates for sentence.

Mr Lester said the workmen had been called out after a lorry dislodged cones around roadworks on the M5 at around 2.15am on March 18 last year.

A lorry called an impact protection vehicle was behind them which was covered in flashing orange lights and had a large arrow on the rear of direct traffic safely around.

It was fitted with a "mattress-like" feature for extra protection, he said.

Decowski, of The Warren, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, an HGV driver for 12 years, told police he had been taking his empty lorry from Abergavenny to the depot in Milton Keynes and had been driving since 5pm the previous day.

He admitted he had fallen asleep at the wheel.

A probation report said Decowski had become a parent two months before and this might have contributed to him being tired.

Belinda Ariss, defending, said Decowski had lost his £41,000 a year job as a driver with Domino's after the accident and had taken a much lower paid job with a window firm.

As a result, his wife and child had returned to Poland. She said he had been in the UK since he was 29 and had no previous convictions.

She said he had had a momentary loss of control and the incident had frightened him so much he had no driven since.

"If he had kept his eyes closed for two more seconds, the results would have been catastrophic, she said.

Judge Robert Juckes, QC, said a clear message had to be sent by the courts about the dangers of falling asleep at the wheel so the offence crossed the custody threshold.

Decowski, he said, was unlikely to offend again and had already been punished by the loss of his job and his wife and child having to return to Poland.

He was given a sentence of eight months suspended for 12 months with100 hours unpaid work. He was banned from driving for twelve months and will have to take an extended re test and he was ordered to pay £340 costs.