PARENTS of three friends killed by a drunken motorist hope to make a personal plea to Home Secretary Jack Straw to stiffen sentences for such offences.

Allan Jackson, 39, was jailed for eight years last December for causing the deaths of three women, two from the North-East, by dangerous driving. He mowed them down on a pavement after hitting a wall while three times over the drink-drive limit.

Jackson, who had two previous drink-drive convictions, was attempting to escape from police after being caught kerb crawling in the red-light district of Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, on August 28, last year.

His victims, Angela Ovington, Susan Briggs and Victoria Fisher, were walking home after a night out in Huddersfield.

Angela, 28, a teacher, originally from Birtley, near Chester-le-Street, and 30-year-old Susan, a computer worker at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary, whose family home was at Gilesgate Moor, Durham, both died within hours.

Victoria, 27, a teacher whose family come from Rochdale, died five days later.

A fourth member of the group, 28-year-old Louise Tinkler, from Chester-le-Street, narrowly escaped after jumping over a wall.

The victims' families hit out at the sentence, which carries a maximum ten years, after Jackson was jailed at Bradford Crown Court.

They have since raised more than 4,000 signatures demanding tougher sentences for drink drivers who cause death on the roads.

Pauline and Denis Briggs, and Ray and Beatrice Ovington visited Durham MP Gerry Steinberg at the weekend to pass on their concerns.

Mrs Briggs would like a charge of vehicular homicide introduced in this country, as in Scotland and the US.

She said Mr Steinberg plans to personally pass on their feelings to the Home Secretary, and the parents hope to hand over the completed petition forms to Mr Straw.

Mrs Briggs said: "When somebody in his condition has a car, you could not have a more lethal weapon. It's worse than a gun or a knife."

Anyone wishing to add their name to the petition can contact the Briggs on 0191-384 4784, or they can write to Mr Straw, at the House of Commons, Palace of Westminster, SW1A OPW