A drink driver who led police on an early morning chase through Bolton has denounced his sentence as an "absolute joke".

Jamie Grundy, 30, was well over the legal limit for alcohol when officers noticed him driving an Audi along Green Lane on March 6 this year at around 2.15am.

He failed to stop when signalled to do so and tried to get away at speeds of up to 90mph, Bolton Crown Court heard.

Mark Pritchard, prosecuting, said: “He was involved in a conscious decision to drive with a flagrant disregard for the rules of the road and the safety of others.”

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He told the court how over the course of the pursuit, Grundy, of Prospect Street in Tyldesley, drove through red traffic lights and on the wrong side of the carriageway.

Grundy overtook other cars and at one point only "narrowly" avoided a crash. He was only arrested after smashing into two parked vehicles.

Mr Pritchard also pointed out that though Grundy had no previous convictions for dangerous driving, he had served jail time in 2016 for possession of Class A drugs with intent to supply. He also has a previous conviction for battery.

Rebecca Filetti, defending, argued that Grundy’s crimes were best dealt with by an "onerous" community order rather than jail time.

She admitted that his actions displayed a "lack of consequential thinking" and a "lack of thinking things through and thinking what the outcome could be".

But Ms Filetti claimed that Grundy was genuinely remorseful for his actions and had "evolved" even in the short time since his pre-sentencing report was written and that he was now determined to stay out of trouble.

She claimed that Grundy had not troubled the courts since 2016, that he had successfully built up a window cleaning business and that his family was dependent on him to support them.

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Judge Tom Gilbart accepted that Grundy clearly had “problems with thinking skills and problem-solving” but pointed out that his driving was “in any view prolonged and clearly dangerous".

He added: “This was an absolutely shocking piece of driving which posed a serious risk to others.”

Judge Gilbart sentenced Grundy to 10 months in prison and banned him from driving for three years.

In an outburst as he was being led down from the dock, Grundy denounced his sentence as an "absolute joke".