A man who led police on a chase through a city centre - reaching speeds of up to 90mph - had taken a cocktail of drugs, a court heard.

Ceri White, 42, had traces of cocaine, heroin, diazepam and cannabis in his system when he was arrested after the chase through Canterbury on the A28 and A2.

White, of Benacre Riding School, Thanet Way, Whitstable, had 81 previous convictions from 37 court appearances, mostly for driving offences.

“He has been constantly banned from driving throughout his adult life,” Richard Job, prosecuting, told Canterbury Crown Court today.

White admitted dangerous driving, failing to stop and driving while banned.

Mr Job said that at about 5pm on August 12, 2018, police officers tried to stop White when he was driving along Lower Bridge Street in Canterbury.

He did not stop and the police chased him. White reached speeds of 75-80 mph in 40-50mph limits along the A28 and up to 90mph along the A2.

The police used a stinger to try to slow him down but White swerved and went up a verge, at 70mph, to avoid it.

“He swerved in and out of heavy traffic on the A2, causing other drivers to brake or stop, before going onto country lanes,” Mr Job said.

“He swerved onto the verge to get past a car transporter which caused his car to tilt over and hit the transporter but he still did not slow down. He sped away and the police lost sight of his car.”

The vehicle was found in a car park next to Chilham railway station where White was detained.

John FitzGerald, defending, said White had made a big effort to overcome an entrenched drug habit which started when he was 14.

“He has undertaken drug rehabilitation programmes while in custody and is now clean of Class A drugs and methadone,” Mr FitzGerald said.

“He is doing all he can and has a job roofing for when he is released.”

White is already serving a sentence until October after being recalled on licence.

Judge Catherine Brown told White his driving had been disgraceful.

“You reached 90mph on the A2, had drugs in your system, were banned at the time and there was an accident which you failed to stop at,” she said.

White was given eight months’ custody for the dangerous driving charge and no separate penalty for the other two offences. He was banned from driving for three years and four months and will have to take an extended test to get back his licence, which was also endorsed.

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