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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Police arrested three men after a high speed chase from Boroughbridge to York in the early hours of this morning.

North Yorkshire Police was contacted at just after 2am this morning with concerns about a quad bike travelling on the A168 near Boroughbridge.

Officers investigated and said they noticed a Land Rover being driven suspiciously. The vehicle speeded off when police asked the driver to stop.

Police pursued the Land Rover on the A59 towards York while another police unit set up a stinger site on the A1237 at York. A police statement today said:

“All four tyres of the Land Rover were stung but it continued for a short time. It eventually lost control and crashed.

“Police also sighted an Audi in the same area that was acting suspiciously. Officers stopped the Audi and then established that it had been seen with the Land Rover earlier that night.

“The Land Rover was confirmed as stolen from an address along with two quad bikes.”

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A 24-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of theft of a motor vehicle, failing to stop for the police, dangerous driving, driving without a license or insurance and aggravated vehicle taking.

A 26-year-old man and a 28-year-old man were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to steal a motor vehicle.

The 24-year-old man was charged with failing to stop for the police, dangerous driving, driving without a license or insurance and aggravated vehicle taking. He has been remanded in custody and recalled to prison.

The 26-year-old man and 28-year-old man currently remain in police custody and enquiries are continuing.