A DRUNKEN Stourbridge businessman led police in a hectic chase on main roads and lanes in North Worcestershire before he was eventually arrested, a court heard.

Daniel Griffiths was tailed after his silver BMW cabriolet was spotted leaving the car park of the Lyttelton Arms, Hagley, at 1.25am on September 21 last year, Worcester Crown Court was told.

Three police cars were damaged as Griffiths drove on the wrong side of main roads and then at 80mph in country lanes - Peter Arnold, prosecuting, said.

Sometimes Griffiths would stop in the centre of a road, wave the police on and then continue to drive off. At one stage, he swerved across the road and hit a police dog van, making it unusable - Mr Arnold told the court.

When he stopped in Windsor Holloway, near Kinver, he refused to get out of the car. He claimed he had been beaten up by "big-time" drug dealers. He was obviously drunk, truculent and obstructive at the police station and refused a breath test - the court was told.

Griffiths, of Norfolk Road, Stourbridge, who also pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, was jailed for 19 months and banned from driving for four years.

The 35-year-old said he had drunk only two pints of cider and a glass of wine.

His barrister, Scott Coughtrie, said his client had been depressed by the break-up of his marriage but had gone to the pub to rendezvous with his wife.

His business was suffering because of his alcohol abuse and he was in debt by £12,000.

Recorder Rachel Brand QC said Griffiths had already served a 16-week sentence for a public order offence.

She said: "I don't know what got into you. Your driving was as dangerous as one tends to see. You deliberately rammed a police car. and adopted a truculent attitude when you were clearly over the limit."