The parents of a North-East woman killed by a drink-driver have joined forces with a national road victims charity to call for tougher sentences.

A year ago today, 30-year-old Susan Briggs was killed along with two friends when drink- driver Allan Jackson ploughed into them while fleeing police in Huddersfield.

Jackson was trying to evade police after being caught kerb crawling in the West Yorkshire town's red light district on August 28, last year.

He careered on to the pavement, killing Susan, of Gilesgate Moor, Durham City, Angela Ovington, 28, a teacher originally from Birtley, near Chester-le-Street, County Durham, and 27-year-old Victoria Fisher, from Rochdale.

A fourth friend, Louise Tinkler, 29, from Chester-le-Street, narrowly escaped with her life after leaping over a wall.

Susan's parents, Pauline and Denis Briggs, have never got over the loss of their only daughter, but said yesterday they hoped something good would come of the tragedy.

The couple have just returned from a protest, with road accident awareness group Roadpeace, outside the Houses of Parliament.

Their silent protest was designed to coincide with the August Bank Holiday, which along with Christmas, is traditionally a peak for drink-drive incidents.

Mrs Briggs said: "None of us could imagine the depths of despair we've been to. On top of the grief is the injustice of Jackson's sentence. We've been told he will serve four years, four months of an eight- year sentence.

"When he was sentenced the investigating officer said it was a good sentence the way the law stands in this country at the moment - that says it all."

The trio of friends were killed as they walked home from a night out after moving to Huddersfield that day. They never finished their unpacking.

The Briggs and Ovingtons, who have both thrown themselves into campaigning for more manslaughter charges against killer drink-drivers, have had an appeal to introduce a US-style vehicle homicide offence turned down by the former Home Secretary Jack Straw.

They hope a recent case where a drink-driver was given 15 years - five more than the usual maximum - for wiping out two cars full of people, will set a powerful precedent for future cases.

Mr Briggs said: "We spent 30 years teaching our daughter to stick to the pavement. She did that and was still killed by this man."

The Roadpeace hotline, for anyone affected by issues in this story, is available on 0208- 964 1021.