Norfolk village was disrupted by a late night car chase last week, when a 24-year-old man sped away from police in his transit van. The vehicle was eventually stopped by a stinger.

The court heard how Andrew Wilson admitted "speeding" away from police but said it was because he had no van insurance on his Ford Transit van, when he tried they tried to stop him on June 21st on B1132 in Poringland.

Wilson pleaded guilty to driving with no insurance, refusing to be breathalysed and dangerous driving.

Norwich Magistrates Court heard that on 10.30pm on Sunday, police officers attempted to stop the van because of faulty lights. What followed was a car chase similar to an action film. Police followed in pursuit, and then a force helicopter came to their assistance.

Prosecuting, Sattam Al-Mugheiry said: "When police tried to flag the van down Wilson smiled and drove off on B1132 onto the A146 Norwich bound. The police vehicle chased the van on the A146 where it was overtaking a number of cars and then it turned onto the A47."

He furthered: "Another police vehicle joined the chase at this point which then the van went onto Stoke Holy Cross. The speed limit is 30mph here but the van was probably travelling at about 50 to 60mph."

He concluded: "The chase continued as Mr Wilson swerved onto Norwich Road, Stoke Holy Cross where he turned right at a blind junction without stopping."

Police continued to try and stop Mr Wilson as he sped down Chandler Road in the village which is described as a "narrow and residential road".

When the van reached Caister Lane, police positioned a stinger which hit the tyres of the vehicle so they would deflate and Wilson was forced to stop.

However, the chase did not end there, as he ran off into some nearby fields and was only located through infrared lights from the helicopter. He was then arrested, but refused to take a breath test.

Speeding with no insurance

Wilson was ordered to reappear at Norwich Crown Court at a date to be fixed and given conditional bail which means he has to report to Bethel Street Police Station every day.

Mr Wilson's lawyer, James Landells, said that his client reacted in the way he did because he was worried over the fact that he was driving without van insurance.

He pointed out that when Wilson was breathalysed; he had only 11micrograms of alcohol in 100ml of breath, which was below the legal limit of 35micrograms.

He said: "The defendant had no insurance on his van which is why he ran off. He was recently made homeless so was sleeping in his van. His speed was not grossly excessive."

Being involved in a van accident – whether it is with another vehicle, a pedestrian or a stationary object – can have a severe effect on the value of the van insurance that a driver or firm pays. This is because insurance companies will your driving as a risk and the need to take out further premiums in the future could be heightened.