A woman who was driving while disqualified has avoided jail after crashing her car into another woman's vehicle, causing her serious neck injuries.

Anisa Iqbal, 25, pleaded guilty to driving without insurance and while disqualified, causing serious injury while driving, and driving without due care and attention at Burnley Magistrates’ Court on May 9.

As a result of the crash, the driver of the other car, Mandy Graham, suffered two fractured vertebrae and spent three days in hospital, as well as needing daily home care from nurses.

Burnley Crown Court heard how on November 17, Ms Graham, 57, was driving down Jubilee Road towards Grane Road in Haslingden, a route she drives regularly to get home.

She turned off the road before everything “suddenly went black” and she heard a big bang, when the oncoming vehicle, a Volkswagen Golf driven by Iqbal, collided head on with Ms Graham’s car.

Ms Graham managed to get out on the passenger side of her car and stumble towards the Golf, where she opened the door and saw Iqbal in the driver seat holding a phone in her hand.

Ambulances and police arrived shortly after and took Ms Graham to Royal Blackburn Hospital, where x-rays and CT scans showed fractures to two vertebrae in her neck.

Iqbal, of Ambleside Close, Blackburn, visited Ms Graham in the hospital and expressed her remorse, saying she will not be driving again after the incident.

After investigation by Lancashire Police, it was found Iqbal had been disqualified from driving a month before the incident after twice failing to produce a driver’s licence when asked.

At the time, she was working for a car hire company and was delivering the Golf to a customer.

Mitigating for Iqbal, Hannah Forsyth said this was Iqbal’s first instance of criminality and this was a “serious error of judgement made by a woman under some considerable stress” having just ended a relationship with her fiancé.

It was also put to the court that Iqbal was the primary carer for her mother and is responsible for taking her to appointments up to twice a week, and an immediate custodial sentence would have a “serious harmful impact” on her.

Passing sentence, Recorder Daniel Prowse said: “You have heard, as I have, the impact upon the victim in this case.

"She describes herself as being in horrendous pain at the hospital, plainly extremely frightened at being told she had a broken neck.

“It is clear there has been a very significant impact on that woman’s life because of your decision to get behind the wheel of a car that day.

“It is said, and I accept, you have expressed genuine remorse by your immediate response to what you did. I am wholly satisfied you are very sorry for what you did.”

Concluding his sentencing, Recorder Prowse sentenced Iqbal to 14 months in prison suspended for 18 months for the count of causing serious injury while disqualified. There was no further penalty for the other counts.

Iqbal must also complete 180 hours of unpaid work, undergo 15 rehabilitation activity requirement days, pay £1,000 compensation, and is disqualified from driving for two years and must undergo an extended re-test.

Recorder Prowse added: “You are extremely fortunate to be walking out of this court again.

"This is the only chance you will get, you will go to prison if I see you again.”