A DANGER driver who led police on an early hours chase through a town’s residential streets has narrowly avoided prison.

Mark Ryan was uninsured and had no licence when he got behind the wheel of a Ford Fiesta, a court heard today.

He had also been drinking and taking cocaine, and was caught with a wrap of heroin.

Officers also found £520 stuffed into one of his socks.

The 38-year-old first came to the attention of the police when he went through a red light at roadworks near Hartlepool town centre at 3am.

Officers pulled up alongside the silver hatchback, and tried to speak to Ryan.

As they did so, he quickly put the car in reverse, spun around and sped off.

During the five-minute pursuit through terraced streets, he narrowly missed parked vehicles as he reached speeds of 52mph.

The incident only came to an end when he took a roundabout the wrong way before losing control of the car and mounting a grassed verge.

Emma Atkinson, prosecuting, said that a roadside drugs swab proved positive.

However, Ryan twice refused to provide a blood sample when he reached the police station, she added.

Teesside Crown Court heard that he has 92 offences on his record, but had been out of trouble for nearly six years.

Martin Scarborough, mitigating, said “Thankfully, it was in the early hours of the morning with no pedestrians and few cars on the road.”

Ryan, of Powlett Road, Hartlepool, was given a 14-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months.

He was also banned from driving for three years.

Judge Howard Crowson told him: “There is a very high risk of an accident, leading to serious injury to you or other people.”

Ryan admitted dangerous driving, failing to provide a specimen, having no insurance and no licence, and possessing Class A drugs.