A man who engaged in a “disgraceful” piece of dangerous driving told a probation officer him and his friends viewed it as a “game.”

Blackburn magistrates heard Hassan Wajid overtook on blind bends, went through red lights and forced other motorists to take evasive action as he tried to give police the slip during a chase at 10.27am.

District Judge Alexandra Preston said she was only just persuaded to keep the case at the magistrates court and deal with it by way of a suspended prison sentence.

“I ask the Probation Service to mark any breach of the order to be reserved to me and if you do breach I will send you to prison,” said District Judge Preston.

Wajid, 20, of Manchester Road, Nelson, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving on Manchester Road and St Mary’s Street, Nelson, and driving without insurance. He was sentenced to 26 weeks in prison suspended for two years with 20 days rehabilitation activity requirement and 250 hours unpaid work.

He was ordered to pay £85 costs and £154 victim surcharge and banned from driving for two years and until he had passed an extended re-test.

District Judge Preston said it had been a deliberate decision by Wajid to ignore the rules of the road as he tried to avoid the police.

“You should be thankful you didn’t cause death or serious injury,” said District Judge Preston. “You told the probation officer that you and your friends view it as a game which it is not.”

Henry Prescott, prosecuting, said police on mobile patrol saw a VW Jetta with a registration which had been involved in a fail to stop incident a week earlier.

As they followed the vehicle sped off and dash cam footage showed the events that followed.

Janet Sime, defending, said her client was a young man who had never been in trouble before.

“It was an unmarked police car and he wasn’t sure at first it was the police who were following him,” said Miss Sime.