A man who led police on a high speed chase before driving on the wrong side of the road into oncoming traffic has been jailed. 

Anthony McWilliam was sentenced at Manchester's Minshull Street Court on Monday, for one count of dangerous driving, one count of driving whilst disqualified and one count of driving without insurance.

On Saturday February 27, officers from the Radcliffe Neighbourhood policing team had seen a vehicle driving along Radcliffe Road, Bury.

A spokesperson for the police said: "The officer who saw this vehicle knew the driver and knew him to be disqualified from driving.

"Officers attempted to pull the vehicle over however instead of accepting his fate with dignity he accelerated hard away from officers and in doing so drove on the wrong side of the road towards oncoming vehicles at high speed.

"I am sure I don't need to labour how lucky it was that this didn't result in catastrophe.

"Whilst we didn't manage to catch up with the driver that day, officers attended a few times trying to locate the driver.

"On one of these occasions officers found the vehicle and seized it from the road.

"Officers have then forced entry to the driver's home address a few days later and arrested the driver."

On March 13, McWilliam of Regent Street, Bury was charged and remanded into custody.

He appeared at court on Monday April 12 and was sentenced to 14 months in prison and was disqualified from driving to a further 67 months.

The police spokesperson added: "We will not stand for road users who have flippant disregard for disqualification orders, or who drive dangerously putting lives and property at risk. 

"Allow me to re-assure you that just because we don't arrest these liabilities on the day, it doesn't mean that officers won't be knocking on their door with a big red key in a few days time."