A father-to-be has been jailed after smashing into a bus, leaving several passengers injured and his friend seriously hurt.

Two women travelling on the Stagecoach service were catapulted forward and hurt when Jason O'Neil lost control of his Peugeot car on the A596.

Seconds before, 26-year-old O'Neil, off Raffles Avenue, Carlisle, had performed a risky overtake on the approach to a "notorious sharp bend" at Micklethwaite.

His friend and passenger, Anthony Queen, suffered a collapsed lung in the collision. He was airlifted to a Newcastle hospital and remained there for several days.

O'Neil was sentenced at Carlisle Crown Court having pleaded guilty to causing serious injury to Mr Queen by dangerous driving.

Gerard Rogerson, prosecuting, said the crash occurred at shortly after 4pm on September 26.

A motorist told police how he was overtaken by the Peugeot, which crossed solid white lines just before the left-hand corner.

"He was so shocked that he said out loud 'that's mental'," Mr Rogerson told the court.

"He heard wheels screeching and the Peugeot began to drift across the road, hitting a wall on the left side of the road before rebounding across the carriageway, sideways, and into the front of the bus."

CCTV footage from that vehicle showed two of the 25 passengers being "thrown forward". They suffered minor injuries.

O'Neil, whose car was written off, was interviewed and initially disputed witness accounts, saying they "were lying".

However, he went on to accept he caused the crash, admitted exceeding the 40mph limit and apologised.

The court heard that O'Neil had previous convictions for both dangerous driving and drink-driving.

John Smith, defending, said O'Neil's partner was due to give birth in early September.

With fatherhood and an employment opportunity looming, Mr Smith suggested that any prison sentence could be suspended.

"It is time for him to settle down, be more sensible, be more productive and be a useful member of society in the future," the lawyer added.

But Judge Peter Davies imposed an immediate jail term, taking into account O'Neil's past crimes.

The 18-week sentence is likely to mean though that O'Neil could be released on licence after serving half - and in time for the birth.

But Judge Davies told him: "Grow up. Have some responsibility as far as your girlfriend and the baby are concerned."

O'Neil was also banned from driving for three years.