An epileptic New York driver who mowed down a British couple with his dustbin lorry has been jailed for at least 20 years.

Auvryn Scarlett, 54, was handed a sentence of 20 years to life for the murders of Jackie Timmins, 47, and Andrew Hardie, 48, of Yeovil, Somerset.

The couple, who were enjoying a romantic break in the US, died instantly after being hit by Scarlett's truck in February 2008 just yards from their hotel.

A third person was badly injured in the incident, for which the defendant was handed a 10-year jail sentence.

It means that Scarlett, who had a fit at the wheel of the lorry, will not be eligible for parole for at least 20 years.

At Manhattan Supreme Court on Wednesday, Judge Richard Carruthers said Scarlett's decision not to take his medication - due in part to the fact that it interfered with his enjoyment of alcohol - meant he had become "a timebomb ready to explode" on the streets of New York.

He added that the "profoundly irresponsible act" had the result that "in the blink of an eye, two lovers walking hand in hand were struck down and taken away from the bosom of their families".