Police used a stinger to end a 140mph pursuit that started in Harrogate yesterday.
The incident began when the man attempted to drive home immediately after he was convicted in court for drug driving and lost his licence.
Paul Cording, a roads policing sergeant at North Yorkshire Police, tweeted last night:
“Unbelievably he left the courtroom and got straight behind the wheel of a car to drive home.”
Sgt Cording said the motorist defied police requests to stop and began speeding along the A59 and A1(M). He added:
“Weaving dangerously in and out of traffic and using all the lanes including the hard shoulder, the vehicle reached speeds of over 140mph
“The vehicle then headed towards Leeming where a stinger was deployed by our armed response vehicle colleagues before being safely stopped and the driver arrested.”
Sgt Cording said the man had shown “a complete disregard for road safety and the judicial system”.
He added he was subsequently charged and remanded to appear in court this morning.
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More drivers arrested in Harrogate for drink driving than any other district
More drivers have been arrested in the Harrogate district as part of North Yorkshire Police’s Christmas drink drive campaign than any over district.
The force tested 1,035 people throughout December for drink and drug driving.
It comes as part of North Yorkshire Police’s campaign to clamp down on people driving under the influence.
Following roadside tests carried out by the force 121 people have been arrested.
Of that number, 33 drivers were in the Harrogate district. The second most were in York, which saw 30 people arrested.
Ryedale and Craven saw the fewest arrested with six and three drivers.

Drink driving arrests made by North Yorkshire Police during the force’s campaign. Data: NYP.
Seventy-three of the arrests were for drink driving, 40 arrests for drug driving (one person was arrested for both drink and drug driving) and nine people were arrested for failing to provide.
Eighteen of those arrested followed a road traffic collision.
Superintendent Emma Aldred, head of specialist operations at North Yorkshire Police, said:
“Along with other emergency services we see far too often the devastating consequences that drink and drug driving causes.
“We often use the term ‘the ripple effect,’ as the mindless actions from one individual can lead to trauma and heartache for many more people.
“Although a vast majority of people were driving within the legal limits, 121 arrests is an alarming number, and it makes this set of results a difficult read.
“This campaign has focused on asking people to call us with information about drink and drug drivers.
“I’m pleased to say we’ve received a significant amount of calls over the past month and often these calls have often resulted in arrests and most likely the prevention of further devastation.”
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- Criminals in North Yorkshire could make written apologies to victims
- Police plea to call out drink drivers amid increasing Harrogate district incidents