AN UNINSURED motorist sped away from police in Aspatria at night with his lights switched off.

At Carlisle Crown Court today, a judge told 43-year-old Adrian Blair that his actions on the night of August 26 last year were "stupid and idiotic." The defendant, of Meadow Road, Wigton admitted dangerous driving.

Prosecutor Matthew Conway described how police spotted Blair driving in Brayton Road, Aspatria, at 11.30pm.

When a check with the Police National Computer revealed that he was uninsured, the officers illuminated their blue lights to indicate Blair should pull over.

"But the defendant drove off at excessive speed, switching off his lights," said Mr Conway. Blair disappeared from view - but was spotted again by another police patrol as he drove along the B5301.

This time, his car drove towards the police car before colliding with its wing mirror. Again, Blair drove away without stopping.

Police later searched for him at a caravan park in Plumbland, deploying police sniffer dogs to trace him - but they ended up arresting his pal.

"It wasn't until the next morning that the defendant handed himself in," said Mr Conway.

"He said: 'You've got my mate under arrest and it wasn't him."

The court heard that Blair had previous motoring convictions, including one for taking a vehicle without consent and one for drink driving.

Paul Tweddle, for Blair, said he had panicked when he spotted the police car.

"What was in his mind was the thought of losing his employment," said the lawyer. "It was a foolish decision in the extreme."

A married father of two, whose job involved fixing pot holes, Blair was considered by his employer to be dependable and responsible, said Mr Tweddle.

Judge Nicholas Barker told the defendant: "You acted in a stupid and idiotic way on August 26." The judge said he had suspicions of why Blair had been so determined to evade capture by the police.

"But I don't sentence you on the basis of my suspicions," said the judge.

"That would be quite wrong." But, said Judge Barker, the defendant's actions had put other road users - including the police - at serious risk.

"This was a pursuit of some duration. When you got out of the car, you ran to an associate's home who let you run through it. That put the police dogs off their scent. This is a serious act of dangerous driving," said the judge, adding that there was no doubt that the offence crossed the custody threshold.

He imposed a six month jail term suspended for two years. Blair was also banned for 21 months, and told to complete 180 hours of unpaid work and 25 rehabilitation activity days.