A 42-year-old Halesowen window cleaner who ploughed head-on into a taxi after speeding away from pursuing police officers has been put behind bars for 10 months.

Lee Chalmers was going in the wrong direction round a one-way system when he crashed into the other vehicle and after his arrest he refused to give police a sample to check the amount of alcohol in his blood.

"You could have killed somebody," Judge Amjad Nawaz told Chalmers. "You knew you had been drinking and that you were over the limit."

He added: "You panicked because you were driving illegally after cancelling your own insurance and you then failed to co-operate with officers at the police station."

Mr Nicholas Burn, prosecuting, said the short chase began when officers saw Chalmers go through a red light but they gave up the pursuit because his driving was so dangerous.

They then came upon his damaged black Suzuki moments later and Chalmers who had hit 50mph in a 30mph limit in West Bromwich tried to run away from the scene only to be brought to the ground by police.

Mr Burns told Wolverhampton Crown Court that Chalmers had been followed by police after going through the red light and his vehicle then came to a standstill.

But he then quickly sped off after the officers smelled alcohol on his breath and he forced his path through a number of stationary cars before going through a second traffic light on red.

Chalmers then carried out what was a highly dangerous manoeuvre onto the one-way system in the Stone Cross area before hitting the taxi.

Mr Lewis Perry, defending, told the court that Chalmers was addicted to anti-depressants and he had not the money he needed to insure the Suzuki which he bought from a friend.

He said Chalmers panicked when he saw the police patrol car and that was the reason he tried to escape. "He is very ashamed and remorseful for what he did."

Chalmers, of Andrew Road, admitted driving dangerously, failing to provide a specimen to police and having no insurance and he was further disqualified from driving for two years.