A bereaved brother is calling for the law to be changed after a driver guilty of careless driving walked free from court.

Richard Thorpe's sister and brother-in-law died in a collision with a car driven by Ian Reddick earlier this year.

Mr Thorpe's sister Jane McLoughlin and her husband of 17-years Brian died instantly when their beloved Honda Fireblade motobike crashed into Reddick's Renault as they travelled to the coast for the annual London to Brighton Rally.

The motorbike fanatics were travelling within the speed limit with their headlights on about 9.30am on March 19, but when Reddick, who has a previous conviction for speeding, pulled out of a junction into their path in his Renault 19 the pair went hurtling into the side, killing them instantly.

Reddick, 25, of Five Oak Green, near Tonbridge, pleaded guilty to careless driving at Maidstone Magistrates Court on Friday.

He walked free from court with six penalty points on his licence, a £200 fine and an order to pay £150 costs.

Mr Thorpe, 51, of Sadler Way, Brighton, his mother Emily Thorpe, 73, sister Carol Jones, 49, and brother David Thorpe, 37, were outraged. They now want to see a change in the law and are calling on their local MP to back them.

Mr Thorpe said: "It angers us. How cheap is life - a fine.

"I would like to see the law changed. You can't see things like that happening and walk away with a fine, two lives have been taken.

"Nobody wants to see him locked up for ever but his licence could be taken away for life."

He said: "One moment you have a sister and brother-in-law and the next you have nothing left and a great hole in your life."

The family has been angered by the decision of the Crown Prosecution Service to only press charges for careless driving rather than causing death by dangerous driving which carries far stiffer penalties.

Mr Thorpe said: "Our family is totally disgusted.

"These decisions stink and it angers the police very much and we are frustrated at how they can come up with a decision like that."

PC Richard Malin, investigating officer, said: "I feel for the Thorpes and from a personal point of view I am disappointed in the CPS but their hands are tied and they have to go with the law."

He said: "The law is changing but it's going to come in too late for the Thorpes and these people.

"Whatever happens to him it's not going to bring back their loved ones but it's not a deterrent for young men who drive carelessly.

"He is going to have this on his mind for the rest of his life but it's not what these two lives are worth."

In recent years pressure groups have lobbied for a new charge of Death by Careless Driving to be introduced but so far it is only in the discussion stage. Under the Home Office consultation, motorists who cause death on the roads could face a lifetime driving ban.

The Department of Environment, Transport and Regions has also commissioned research into the Road Traffic Acts and their penalties.

It is due to be completed shortly and a report published in the New Year will be presented to Government ministers who can then decide whether to press for change.