A 28-year-old man with a criminal record 50 pages long has been jailed after a judge accused him of "declaring war on law-abiding people".

Banned driver Nathan Schwingen, with 73 previous convictions many of them for driving while disqualified, led police on a high speed chase through the streets of Broadstairs.

Canterbury Crown Court heard that as the police vehicle closed in on his vehicle, two of his passengers opened their windows and made an obscene "middle finger" gesture.

Now he has been sent to prison for 20 months and banned from driving for three years and 10 months after admitting dangerous driving and driving while disqualified.

Prosecutor Craig Evans told how on July 13 this year Schwingen, of Northdown Hill, Broadstairs, was seen driving a VW Polo along Ellington Way Ramsgate.

"He passed police officers who recognised him and knew he had been banned so they decided to stop the vehicle.

"But the defendant sped up to 70mph in a 30mph zone, mounting a pavement to pass two cars and a lorry.

"Such was the contempt shown by those in his car towards the police that two of the passengers put their arms out of the window and gave a middle-finger gesture," he added.

The prosecutor said that because of the erratic driving in Fairfield Road, police stopped the pursuit, but Schwingen's vehicle crashed in Dane Valley Road in Margate and the driver ran away.

"It's not an exaggeration to say this is a declaration of war against law abiding people who come into contact with you" - Judge James O’Mahony

Judge James O’Mahony told him: "This course of driving was an absolute menace. It was deliberate dangerous driving.

"I have looked at your antecedence and it’s not an exaggeration to say this is a declaration of war against law abiding people who come into contact with you because of your behaviour."

Last year he drove a Peugeot 306 in Eastern Esplanade, Margate, while disqualified and with no insurance.

He also failed to stop the vehicle when required to do so by a police officer and had a knuckle duster in Tomlin Drive, Margate and was jailed for 26 weeks.