A BANNED driver led police on a short high-speed chase in a residential area and then refused to give a breath test.

Durham Crown Court heard that Michael Quinn came to police attention following reports from filling station staff after he drove away without paying for diesel.

Quinn, 25, who has three previous drink-drive convictions, was jailed for 12 months after a judge described him as "a menace on the road".

Paul Cross, prosecuting, said Quinn was nearing the end of a previous sentence, imposed for driving while disqualified and with excess alcohol, in a subsequent incident.

The latest case, on September 1, involved him driving a Peugeot 405 that he bought for £100 earlier in the day.

Police came across it being driven erratically shortly after the filling station staff passed on the registration number.

Mr Cross said a patrol car pursued Quinn on South Hetton Road, in east Durham, after the Peugeot was seen emerging from a junction without stopping.

It went the wrong side of a central reservation, in South Hetton, and reached speeds of 50mph in a built-up area in nearby Easington Lane.

Quinn drove on the wrong side of the road, and weaved from side to side, in a housing estate. In Tamar Street, another motorist had to brake hard to avoid a collision.

Mr Cross said Quinn skidded to a halt and fled the vehicle, but, "clearly intoxicated", he was soon caught and refused to take the breath test.

Quinn, of Windsor Drive, South Hetton, admitted dangerous driving, failure to provide a breath specimen, driving while disqualified and making off without payment.

Mark Styles, mitigating, said his client accepted he faced a possible prison sentence.

"He tells me his latest spell in custody has brought him to his senses, and he accepts that in the past he has had too much time on his hands."

Jailing him, Judge Tim Hewitt told Quinn: "There may well have been people around at the time and their lives would have been put at risk.

"You have a long history of alcohol-related convictions and you seem to think it's acceptable to consume large quantities of alcohol and drive.

"You're a menace on the road."