A dangerous driver aimed his car at police and pedestrians while on drugs, running up to speeds of 90mph in a 30mph zone.

Minshull Street Crown Court heard this week how Shane Leith, 33, of Unsworth Street, Radcliffe, did not even have a license or insurance when he drove up Jubilee Way, Bury, in a Mazda on the evening of February 27 this year having taken cocaine and cannabis.

Approached by police because of his erratic behaviour, he then drove off, running through red lights, driving at police cars and at pedestrians and even continuing to drive on his wheel rims after all four of his tyres had been destroyed.

Recorder Geoffrey Lowe said: “It was quite frankly half an hour of the worst kind of dangerous driving that can possibly take place, short of somebody being injured, maimed or even killed.”

He added: “It is difficult to image a worse case of dangerous driving than this.”

Katie Laverty, prosecuting, told the court how Lowe had posed an extremely serious threat to other road users that evening and that he had previously been convicted of other dangerous driving offences.

When he was finally stopped by police officers, they found a black handled knife under the driver’s seat, which Leith denied knowing anything about.

He pleaded guilty to the driving offences before magistrates but denied possession of the knife before being convicted in absence in court.

Michael Leigh, defending, argued that his client deserved credit for having pleaded guilty to the driving offences and that he had lived a troubled life for years.

He said that Leith's life had been “destroyed” by Class A drug addiction, which had even caused him to need to have a leg amputated some years ago.

But Mr Leigh admitted that Leith’s crimes were “just about as bad as it can get with regards to dangerous driving.”

Recorder Lowe sentenced Leith to 14 months in prison for dangerous driving along with three months to run concurrently for possession of the knife.

He also banned him from driving for three years and seven months.