A BRICKLAYER who caused the death of two of his apprentices by driving dangerously and crashing into a cement mixer was jailed for two years yesterday.

Scott Prior, 20, and Mark McColl, 24, both died at the scene when Robert Brown, 65, caused the head-on crash by trying to overtake a line of traffic.

The High Court in Perth was told that Brown had trained both men and would suffer the devastating consequences of his actions for "the rest of his life."

Lord Bannatyne told Brown: "What happened was a dreadful tragedy. These two men died and their families have been deprived of them.

"I suspect no sentence I impose will be sufficient in their eyes.

"The incident has clearly had a profound effect on you and you have experienced feelings of extreme guilt and remorse."

Counsel for Brown, Thomas Ross, said his client had been driving for 47 years and had no ­previous convictions.

Mr Ross told the court: "He accepts he is fully deserving of punishment. I would categorise the offence as arising from a momentary error of judgment. It was a bad error with catastrophic consequences.

"Two young men lost their lives and another was injured. These are matters Mr Brown very much regrets. He experiences profound and ongoing feelings of guilt.

"He doesn't pretend he has suffered as much as the families of Scott Prior and Mark McColl."

Brown admitted overtaking traffic and smashing his works van into a concrete mixer on the A83 at Cairndow, near Loch Fyne, Argyll, on 12 February last year.

Brown, from New Cordale Road, Renton, was forced to give up work after suffering a spinal fracture and was banned from driving for 15 years.

The crash happened as all three men were returning home after working in Oban. The impact was such that Mr Prior, from Dumbarton, and Mr McColl, from Bonhill, both died at the scene from massive head injuries.