A pick-up truck driver narrowly avoided a head-on collision as he went the wrong way down the A47 during a frantic police chase, a court heard.

George Williams twice rolled his truck at the end of the four-mile drama, having driven at a police car and ignored attempts by a pursuit team to make him stop.

Norwich Crown Court heard Williams, 20, has been spotted by police driving a Mitsubishi L200 on the Northern Distributor Road (NDR) near North Walsham.

Andrew Oliver, prosecuting, said he drove off at speed, with the “wheels screeching” as he went around roundabouts.

At one stage one of the police’s tactical pursuit vehicles overtook the Mitsubishi with blue lights flashing in a bid to get Williams to stop.

But Mr Oliver said he continued going the wrong way around the roundabout at Broadland Gate and even driving in the opposite direction on the A47 “narrowly avoiding a head on collision” with another vehicle.

Mr Oliver said the pick-up truck went the wrong way around another roundabout before later driving at a police vehicle whose driver took evasive action to avoid a collision.

Williams then turned left off the A47 at Church Road, Witton, but lost control and the vehicle rolled twice.

Police found that Williams had a passenger in the front of the car.

Williams, currently in Norwich Prison, appeared at court to be sentenced having admitted dangerous driving on April 27 last year as well as other offences, including two of conspiracy to convey articles into prison, cannabis and mobile phones on May 10 last year, threatening behaviour, common assault and taking a motor vehicle without consent in relation to a former partner on September 9 2019.

He admitted having no insurance and no driving licence as well as burglary following a break-in at a farm in Hempnall on March 24/25 last year.

Sentencing Williams to a total of two years in prison, Judge Andrew Shaw said the series of offending was so serious that only an immediate sentence of imprisonment was justified.

Matthew McNiff, mitigating, said he was a young man who now hoped to sort himself out.

Williams was also disqualified from driving for three years and made the subject of a five-year restraining order banning him from contacting his former partner.