A judge said it was “astounding” no-one was killed when a drugged driver lost control of his BMW and ploughed through a wall onto a petrol filling station forecourt.

Judge Jo Kidd made the comment to defendant Peter Wilkinson as she jailed him for dangerous driving and driving while over the specified limit for drugs.

Durham Crown Court heard that the offences arose after Wilkinson picked up a passenger in his black BMW X5, at about 11am, on Sunday July 10, last year, said to be a dry, sunny day.

He then travelled at 90-miles per hour heading to a McDonald’s restaurant at Thinford, which prosecutor Zaiban Alam, told the court made his passenger feel, “nervous and scared”.

Read more: Croxdale A167 crash: Two people taken to hospital by ambulance

Miss Alam said at the drive-through takeaway a member of staff noticed Wilkinson appeared to be under the influence of something, thought to be alcohol, as he was seen taking a swig from a can of cider.

Nothing was bought from the McDonald’s, but Wilkinson did purchase food at a nearby KFC restaurant, before driving north on the A167.

Miss Alam said Wilkinson appeared to try to overtake a van at The Coach and Horses roundabout, and was unable to complete the manoeuvre, but then accelerated to 70-mph, sending dust and debris flying.

He moved to the opposite side of the road and clipped a traffic island before being then described as, apparently, “driving in a daze”, in the wrong carriageway.

Miss Alam said Wilkinson’s passenger had to alert him to an oncoming car, and, as a collision appeared inevitable, he swerved sharply at the last second to move into the correct carriageway, but in trying to “right” the car at the rear, the BMW began to skid and went spinning out of control.

It careered through a low brick wall at Barmoor Shell Service Station, at Croxdale, causing a loud bang as debris scattered into the forecourt.

The BMW struck a stationary car on the forecourt and sent it shunting into a petrol pump, knocking it into another pump.

Miss Alam said the station assistant deactivated the petrol pumps, fearing fuel could be ignited by sparks, and four vehicles in all were damaged, including a car from which a mother had just taken her two sons into the kiosk shop to buy cold drinks.

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“Had they been in the car they could have been caused serious injury,” said Miss Alam, who added that all present were affected by dust inhalation in the immediate aftermath.

Wilkinson was able to get out of the BMW, but complained about pain in his back, while his passenger had to be helped out of the car by the emergency services, as he was trapped in his seat by the activated airbag and the door.

Both were taken to hospital, where the passenger was found to have sustained three hairline fractures in the pelvic area.

Miss Alam said before being taken to hospital, Wilkinson was spoken to at the scene and said he was trying to overtake a small van and had to, “put his foot down”, as if attributing some blame on the other driver.

He also gave a positive blood test, indicating the presence of a bi-product of cocaine in his system, but he was unable to provide a breath sample.

Miss Alam said two petrol pumps and four vehicles were damaged, the BMW to a severe extent.

When interviewed later, Wilkinson denied driving dangerously but conceded he may have clipped a traffic island, while his passenger told police he felt lucky to still be alive, due to the “shocking” driving of the defendant.

The court heard that the 43-year-old defendant, of Boyne Street, Willington, admitted dangerous driving and driving with a specified drug above the limit in his system when he appeared before magistrates last month.

His case was committed for sentence to the crown court, which was told the defendant has a number of past driving convictions on his record.

Ian West, in mitigation, told the court his client does not have a “long history” of offending, but added there was, “a disturbing pattern of bad driving and when he is not in a fit state to do so.”

He added: “It’s not the worst case of dangerous driving the court will have seen, but the potential consequences were serious and the actual consequences were bad enough.”

Judge Jo Kidd told Wilkinson: “You drove in circumstances of being incapable of exercising judgement whatsoever about your speed and other vehicles on the road.”

She said his passenger was, “understandably, terrified”, as Wilkinson drove at 90-mph and then subsequently ploughing into the station forecourt.

“It’s quite frankly astounding that no-one was killed,” Judge Kidd told Wilkinson.

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“It’s difficult to imagine the scale of injuries had those two children still been in that vehicle.

“You could have killed yourself, your passenger and numerous people you came into contact with that day.”

Imposing a 16-month prison sentence, Judge Kidd banned Wilkinson from driving for three years and eight months, after which he must pass an extended re-test to be allowed to legally drive again.