A motorist has been fined and handed eight penalty points for causing a serious collision with a tractor on a rural Suffolk road.

Idelmira Semedo appeared at Suffolk Magistrates' Court on Tuesday to admit driving without due care and attention near Halesworth in March.

The 46-year-old was driving home from work at the Bernard Matthews factory when she crossed a solid white line in the middle of the A145 London Road, Willingham St Mary, to overtake a tractor.

Semedo's red Citroen C3 flipped onto its roof after clipping the front offside wheel of the tractor, which subsequently left the road and collided with a tree.

The crash happened shortly after 4.20pm on Thursday, March 25, and closed the road for more than three hours.

Semedo was taken to the James Paget Hospital but escaped the crash without serious injury.

Prosecutor Remya Unnithan said there was no mention from police of anyone else being injured in the collision.

Speaking with the help of a Portuguese interpreter, Semedo told the court she had followed the example of another driver and attempted to overtake the tractor, but could not remember seeing a solid white line in the road until later being presented with pictures of the crash scene.

"I had the impression that the tractor started to accelerate as well," she added.

"I noticed I wasn't going to manage it, so I eased off the accelerator, but as there was a car behind me, I didn't think I'd be able to go back, and there was another car coming in the other direction."

"Only when I saw the images provided by the police, did I see the continuous white line and realise I shouldn't have overtaken."

The court heard that Semedo, of Well Street, Great Yarmouth, had no previous convictions, had obtained her driving licence in Portugal in 2013 and had been driving in the UK since 2018.

She was handed eight penalty points, fined £120 and ordered to pay £105 towards the cost of prosecution.