A TEENAGER driving a transit van late a night led police on a high-speed chase out of Carlisle, reaching speeds of 90mph.

Patrick Donoghue, 18, was stopped only after he drove over a police stinger device near to the city's Durdar Crossroads, Carlisle’s Rickergate Court heard.

The defendant, of London Road, Carlisle, admitted dangerous driving.

Pam Ward, prosecuting, said Donoghue came to the attention of police at around 10.30pm on September 21 when officers saw him at the wheel of a red van with a defective brake-light, and then driving at speed into nearby Levens Drive, Morton.

When the police car patrol driver activated his blue lights, the teenager drove away, heading for Dalston Road.

Heading out of the city past Cummersdale village, he reached a speed of 80mph – twice the speed limit on that part of the road.

In the minutes after this, police saw the van crossing the road’s solid white lines and veering on to the wrong side of the road.

The van’s speed increased to around 90mph as the defendant approached Dalston.

He sped into the village at around 80mph, his speed dropping as he went through the village to around 70mph, said Mrs Ward.

By the time he reached Durdar Road, he was still driving at around 70mph before reaching the crossroads and turning towards Carlisle city centre.

“As the van approached the junction of Durdar Road and Woodlands Avenue, the driver braked heavily and came to a stop,” said Mrs Ward.

She said that the case should be dealt with by a judge at Carlisle Crown Court, adding: “It was prolonged bad driving which involved a disregard for other road users, and very high speeds while being pursued by police.”

Magistrates ruled that their sentencing powers were insufficient for the case.

They sent the case to Carlisle Crown Court for a hearing on November 8. In the meantime, the defendant will be subjected to an interim driving ban.

The defendant also admitted driving while uninsured.