An angry motorist who crashed his car into a £1m police station a month after it opened, has been jailed for two years.

Joseph Lucas, 37, rammed the glass-fronted building three times before abandoning the Y-Reg Rover 25 and continuing the attack with a hammer.

Then, after losing grip of the tool, he picked up a large block of concrete, which he used to threaten a stunned officer before hurling it through the windscreen of a police car and then attacking the sergeant with his fists.

Newcastle Crown Court heard how Lucas, who doesn't even have a driving licence, had taken the car - which belongs to his partner Toni Andrews - after drinking alcohol and taking anti-depressants on July 31, and headed straight for Durham Police's Seaham Station.

The plush police office had been opened a month earlier, and had to be closed and replaced by a mobile police station while repairs were carried out.

Euan Duff, prosecuting, told the court: "For some reason, he headed straight for the police station, and simply drove straight into the front of the building. He reversed the car and drove into it twice more - three times altogether.

"The area into which he drove at the front had, by happy coincidence, nobody in the immediate area at that time, although very extensive damage was caused, to the tune of about £15,000.

"Sergeant William Bentham ran out of the back of the station and got into a police vehicle. He came around to the front, and by that time the accused was out of the car holding a hammer, saying: 'Come on, I'm going to have you'.

The court heard how Sgt Bentham was forced to throw punches in self defence before he and others were able to wrestle Lucas to the ground.

Father-of-two Lucas, of Bethune Avenue, Seaham, pleaded guilty to damaging property, being reckless as to whether life would be endangered, damaging the police vehicle, affray, driving with no licence, failing to provide a specimen of breath and resisting a police officer.

The court heard how Lucas has unresolved issues relating to his mother's sudden death and had a history of abusing alcohol and anti-depressants.

But Tony Davis, mitigating, said Lucas, who has a string of previous convictions, feels no hatred towards the police.

He told the court: "The fact a police station was the target of his anger is a matter of no consequence - it might as well have been the town hall."