A 57-year-old lorry driver has been ordered to do 200 hours of unpaid work in the community after a jury found his careless driving caused the death of a 72-year-old man in a road crash outside the victim's reputedly "haunted" cottage in Herefordshire.

David Livingstone was driving a fully loaded cement truck at 52 mph in a 40 mph limit on the A438 at Willersley when the crash happened on October 22, 2013, Worcester Crown Court heard.

His lorry hit a Citroen Saxo driven by David Penny as he pulled out of the drive at his home, Old Crow Cottage, to turn right, Richard Franck, prosecuting, told the jury.

Livingstone braked immediately but the lorry hit the driver's side of the car, lifting it off the ground.

The car ended up in a ditch on the opposite side of the road.

Livingstone, of Leader Street, Cheswick, Bristol, denied causing death by careless driving at a retrial. A previous court hearing had ended with the jury being discharged after failing to reach a verdict.

Judge Robert Juckes QC, who also banned Livingstone from driving for 12 months, said that vegetation by the drive of Mr Penny's cottage meant that he took a risk every time he drove out on to the road.

Mr Franck said the 30 tonne lorry was fully loaded with powdered cement to make its total weight 44 tonnes.

A driver who had been in front of Livingstone as he drove on the Brecon road towards Hereford said he had been concerned that the lorry was too close. He had accelerated away when he got the chance and heard the crash behind him. Mr Penny was pronounced dead at 4pm from multiple injuries.

Mr Franck said police analysis showed Livingstone's speed had caused the collision.

"If he had been going at the correct speed, he would have either not collided or the collision would have been very gentle," he told the jury.

Livingstone, who defended himself in the proceedings, questioned the accuracy of the analysis and denied that he had been driving carelessly.

* Old Crow Cottage has been the subject of rumours that it is haunted, with local people claiming to have seen flickering lights in the windows at night.