A MOTORIST narrowly escaped a prison sentence after leading police on a high-speed chase while over the drink-drive limit.

Durham Crown Court was told Darin Dixon, who only took his car to the pub because it was raining, tried to persuade a colleague to take responsibility.

The Nissan Terrano was spotted by a passing police patrol in South Stanley, County Durham, without lights, at 11.30pm on November 29 last year.

Jane Waugh, prosecuting, said it was pulled over but, when a female officer approached, it drove off at speed. She said it travelled at up to 80mph on roads with a 30mph limit between Stanley and Craghead, forcing other vehicles to take evasive action, before being abandoned on a side track.

Dixon and his passenger were found hiding behind a garden shed and, when breathalysed, he gave a reading two-and-a-half times over the driving limit.

In interview, he said there were four people in the car and he was a rear seat passenger.

Miss Waugh said he named the person he claimed to be the driver, who subsequently told police Dixon approached him asking him to take responsibility. But, realising the potential consequences, he finally came clean and named Dixon as the driver.

Eric Elliott, mitigating, said Dixon was a hard-working man who provides for two children.

He said: "He risks losing everything because of this idiotic piece of driving, after having too much to drink."

Dixon, 42, of Elmway, South Pelaw, Chester-le-Street, admitted dangerous driving, excess alcohol and failing to stop for police.

He was given a 12-month community rehabilitation order, which includes attending alcohol misuse and illegal driving classes, plus a £750 fine and £881 costs. He was also given a three-year driving ban.

Judge Richard Lowden told him: "You drove at 80mph in a 30mph-limit area with approaching three times the legal amount of alcohol in your system, and all because you couldn't be bothered to walk to the pub because it was raining.

"My first thoughts were prison, but you haven't any previous driving convictions for almost 20 years and, by good luck, there wasn't an accident."