TWO Torfaen councillors who were hit by a drunk driver are hoping to put the "horror" of the crash behind them after a Cwmbran man was sentenced for driving a vehicle with an alcohol level above the legal limit.

The car of Two Locks and Henllys councillor Peter Jones, and his wife Fay Jones, councillor for St Dials, rolled "three or four" times after being hit by another driver.

Mr and Mrs Jones were both taken to hospital following the two-vehicle incident on Hollybush Way, Cwmbran, in September where they were kept under observation before being released.

Mr Jones said: “There are no winners in this case. The other driver now has a criminal record and must serve his sentence.

“My partner and I are still receiving treatment for our injuries and now want to move on from this awful incident.

“It is difficult to put behind us the horror of our car being turned over after an out of control vehicle careered into us at great speed. I just hope that this sad affair will make people realise the absolute folly of drink driving.”

The car of Two Locks and Henllys councillor Peter Jones, and his wife Fay Jones, councillor for St Dials, rolled several times after being hit by another driver. Picture: Peter Jones.

As well as being a councillor, Mr Jones works part time as a policy officer for Guide Dogs Cymru, and is a retired senior civil servant.

Mrs Jones previously worked for 35 years in children’s services.

Stuart Johnson, 31, of Ton Road, was arrested on suspicion of driving a vehicle with an alcohol level above the legal limit after causing the accident in September.

At a hearing at Newport Magistrates Court, Mr Johnson, was sentenced to a community order 160 hours of community service, and must pay a victim surcharge of £85 and a further £85 to the Crown Prosecution Service.

He has also been disqualified from driving for two years.

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Following the crash, Mr Jones described how onlookers said the couple were "lucky to be alive."

Mr Jones said: “It all happened in an instant. My car spun about three or four times.

“Someone at the scene said we were lucky to be alive. Someone else said they don’t know how we walked out of the car.

“The car was a mess. The pillars had gone, the axles had gone.

“The most important thing is that my wife and I are alive.”