A 32-tonne tipper truck which killed four people after its brakes failed should "never have been" driven on that road, a court has heard.

Four-year-old Mitzi Steady died and her grandmother, Margaret Rogers, suffered serious injuries when they were hit by the lorry.

The vehicle continued to career down the "very steep" hill of Lansdown Lane in Bath, and killed three men inside a car.

Stephen Vaughan, 34, of Swansea, and Philip Allen, 52, and Robert Parker, 59, both of Cwmbran, all died at the scene.

The heavily-loaded Scania truck, carrying aggregate, had almost 450,000 miles (724,205km) on the clock and allegedly had "long-standing defects".

Its driver, Phillip Potter, 20, his boss Matthew Gordon, 30, both of Dauntsey, and mechanic Peter Wood, 55, of Brinkworth, deny14 charges in connection with the tragedy.

On the second day of their trial, Bristol Crown Court heard that the truck was prohibited from driving in Lansdown Lane due to its size.

Prosecuting, Adam Vaitilingam QC told the jury of seven men and five women, that Lansdown Lane was a "short cut".

"It is know by some people as a rat run," he said.

"Lansdown Lane is a very steep hill. A sign indicates the road is unsuitable for heavy goods vehicles.

"At the very top of Lansdown Lane there's another sign which indicates a 6ft width restriction except for access.

"These two lorries were both a lot wider that 6ft - they were about 8.5ft wide -and they were not using Lansdown Lane for access - they were using it as a short cut.

"They were ignoring the prohibitions. These lorries were not allowed to be and should never have been on Lansdown Lane."

The court heard that, on February 9 last year, Grittenham Haulage Limited sent two of its lorries out to pick up materials and deliver them to various building sites.

Potter, who had only worked at the company for a few days, was driving an 11-year-old lorry, while Gordon - the boss of Grittenham Haulage - was driving another.

Mr Vaitilingam said "inexperienced" Potter was driving behind Gordon and the two lorries were laden to their maximum of 32 tonnes.

As they headed to their final destination of the day, they drove down Lansdown Lane. The brakes on Potter's lorry failed as he went down the hill.

Jurors heard that the lorry struck a BMW and a Volkswagen, moving them along the road, before crashing into the Volvo carryiong Mr Parker, Mr Allen and Mr Vaughan.

Tachograph records show that Potter and Gordon had not taken mandatory breaks in the hours before the collision, Mr Vaitilingam said.

Both were speeding - travelling at the lorries' maximum speed of 56mph instead of 40mph - as they headed towards Lansdown Lane, he added.

Witnesses saw smoke coming from Potter's lorry and smelt the brakes burning as he drove down the hill.

"When you combine the hot brakes with the many underlying defects on this lorry then you have major problems," Mr Vaitilingam added.

The ABS warning light - indicating problems with the braking system - was on and therefore the lorry should not have been driven, he said.

Potter claims he pointed out the light and filled out a defect sheet but Gordon told him to keep on driving.

"The lorry was being driven by Philip Potter at a time when it shouldn't have been on the road," Mr Vaitilingam told the jury.

"It was being driven in a way it shouldn't have been. It was making its way down Lansdown Lane, where it was not allowed to be.

"When you add these factors to the fact this was a poorly maintained lorry with major defects with six of its eight brakes it is obviously an impending disaster."

Builder Elliott Field was heading home to Glastonbury from Bath on February 9, driving behind the two lorries on Lansdown Lane.

"I noticed there was something not right with the lorry," he told the jury.

"I started to smell burning brake pads and started to see smoke coming off the lorries.

"I could see that they were starting to pick up speed.

"The smoke was just becoming denser and denser. It was getting quite hard to see behind them because it was quite thick."

Mr Field turned off and took a different route home before the collision occurred.

Gordon McLellan and Gary Lee were travelling together in a rented Ford Galaxy behind the lorries.

"I mentioned to my colleague that this wasn't going to end well," Mr Lee told the jury.

Potter denies causing the deaths of Mitzi, Mr Parker, Mr Allen and Mr Vaughan by dangerous driving and by careless driving.

The 20-year-old is also charged with causing serious injuries to Karla Brennan and Mrs Rogers - Mitzi's grandmother - by dangerous driving.

Gordon denies the manslaughter of Mitzi, Mr Parker, Mr Allen and Mr Vaughan by failing to ensure that the brakes of the truck were in a safe condition.

The 30-year-old is also charged with causing their deaths by dangerous driving and by careless driving, and causing serious injuries to Mrs Brennan and Mrs Rogers by dangerous driving.

Wood is accused of the manslaughter of Mitzi, Mr Parker, Mr Allen and Mr Vaughan by failing to ensure that the brakes of the truck were in a safe condition.

The trial, in front of Mr Justice Langstaff, continues.