A DUDLEY teenager who drove the wrong way down a dual carriageway to try and shake off pursuing police officer has been jailed.

Nathan Cook had been ordered to pull over in his Peugeot by the officers after they discovered the vehicle was not insured, said Howard Searle, prosecuting.

But the 18-year-old sped off and drove through two sets of red traffic lights and overtook a string of other vehicles as his "distressed" female passenger tried to get him to slow down.

Cook then drove onto the wrong side of the carriageway on the congested Birmingham New Road, forcing oncoming motorists to brake sharply to avoid being hit by the Peugeot.

The 10 minute chase finally came to a halt when Cook drove into a dead end in the Parkfields area of Wolverhampton, Mr Searle told Wolverhampton Crown Court.

But he then leapt from his still moving Peugeot and ran away before the car - with the woman still in it - plunged down a five foot embankment and into a metal fence, causing £700 worth of damage.

Cook, of Lawley Street, admitted driving dangerously and without insurance and he was jailed for 10 months.

He was also disqualified from driving for two years.

Stephen Hamblett, defending, said that Cook was a young man with a "troubled background" as he unsuccessfully pleaded for him to be allowed to keep his freedom so he could seek assistance from the Probation Service.