A DRUNK burglar who stole a Mini Cooper and led police on a 100mph chase has been jailed.

Brian Quinn, 40, drove on the wrong side of the road at more than double the legal limit before crashing.

He had broken into a house on Turret Road in Denton Burn, Newcastle, from which he stole the keys for the car and made off in the vehicle.

Later that night officers on patrol in Newcastle spotted the stolen vehicle driving on the central motorway and tried to pull him over.

But instead of stopping, Quinn, who was nearly double the legal alcohol limit at the time, slammed his foot on the accelerator and made off at more than 100mph.

Northumbria Police have released footage of the pursuit along the Great North Road towards Gosforth, where Quinn can be seen swerving onto the wrong side of the road at more than double the 30mph and 50mph limits.

During the chase he popped one of his rear tyres but continued to drive at more than 60mph on just three wheels.

Eventually he collided with a junction on a mini roundabout at the end of Salter’s Road in Coxlodge and was arrested by police.

Quinn, of Elswick Road, Newcastle, was later charged with burglary, aggravated vehicle taking, driving with no insurance, driving whilst disqualified and driving whilst above the legal alcohol limit on March 24.

He admitted the offences and on Monday, July 15, he was jailed for three years and one month at Newcastle Crown Court. He was also handed a three-year driving ban to begin on his release from prison.

Investigating officer DC Chris Sample said the dangerous drink driver put lives at risk because of his reckless behaviour behind the wheel.

He said: “This burglary was committed by an opportunist thief who gained entry to a house through an unlocked door and stole some keys out of the pocket of a jacket that was hanging by the front door.

“He is a prolific criminal who knew what he was looking for and was quickly able to make off with the vehicle whilst the owner was still in the house.

“Thankfully, they were able to get in touch with police straight away and they were able to locate the vehicle in a matter of minutes.

“His decision to then try and escape police is one that ultimately could have cost an innocent person their life due to the erratic nature of his driving.

“He has driven at high speeds, into the direction of oncoming traffic, and then continued to drive at high speed along Gosforth High Street which is a very busy area.

“It was only due to the professionalism of those traffic officers that the pursuit was brought to a safe conclusion.

“He is now behind bars and it gives me great satisfaction to know that he cannot target any other innocent members of the community.”