A TOURIST who went on a drunken driving spree after stealing a bus with three friends has been jailed.

Richard Holmes visited the North-East in July for a weekend of drinking, but his drunken antics soon him and his friends in trouble with police.

Teesside Crown Court heard yesterday that after drinking ten pints, Holmes took a bus from Redcar, in east Cleveland, and drove through the streets taking his friends along for the ride.

He narrowly missed a motorist before crashing into a garage in Holbeck Road.

Holmes, a landscaper, carried on his journey before being stopped by police in Skelton and arrested. There was £6,000 of damage to the bus.

The court heard the father-of-two, who did not have a full driving licence, had previous convictions for offences committed in drink.

Judge John Walford said it was a miracle nobody was hurt in the incident.

Holmes, of Burdington Road, Leeds, was jailed for nine months, after he pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicle taking.