A banned motorist who fell asleep at the wheel after taking cannabis, causing a crash on the M25, then invented a fake driver to blame.

Dad-of-one Morgan Tinpeloo was seen walking along the hard shoulder telling others he was looking for 'Jamie'.

He was heard shouting: "Where's my mate? Where has he gone?"

But a judge heard that a motorist had earlier seen the 23-year-old builder slumped at the wheel of his Vauxhall Astra on October 1 last year.

And Maidstone Crown Court heard how just weeks earlier, Tinpeloo, of Main Road, Longfield, had received a suspended jail sentence for other motoring offences.

Prosecutor James Ross told Tinpeloo had been on the eastbound section of the M25 between junctions 6 (Godstone) and 5 (Sevenoaks) at 7.45am.

One motorist later told police: "I was travelling in the left lane when my attention was drawn to a black Vauxhall Astra with only one person in the car.

"I noticed him (the driver) swerve from the middle lane into a lorry in the left lane; thereby clipping his own wing mirror. He then swerved off into the middle lane and drove off.

"I could clearly see the driver slumped over the driver's side window as if he was asleep. He then drove off at speed."

The motorist carried on and then saw the same Astra had crashed into a red transporter vehicle.

The prosecutor said: "Initially Tinpeloo was out of his vehicle and seemed to be inventing a fake driver on which he could blame the incident."

The driver of the transporter later told officers: "I was driving at 70mph. All of a sudden I felt a really big thud from the back and I was thrown out of my seat towards the steering wheel.

"I momentarily lost control of my vehicle. I remember a very loud bang. After stopping, I looked into my mirror and I could see a ball of smoke."

Tinpeloo was jailed for eight months after admitting driving while disqualified and driving under the influence of cannabis - after tests revealed he was more than twice the legal limit.

He also admitted causing criminal damage to property in Gravesend.

Judge Julian Smith - who also banned him from driving for 22 months - said: "It was incredibly fortuitous that no-one was seriously injured. These are grave offences but the consequences could have been worse."

To read more of our in depth coverage of all of the major trials coming out of crown and magistrates' courts across the county, click here.

For information on how we can report on court proceedings, click here.