A banned driver who sped away from a police stop before hitting 150mph in a chase has been jailed.

Waqar Saeed, of Langthorne Road, Leyton, gave police a false name when he was pulled over in West Thurrock on Friday, September 16 for crossing a hatched area on his way to a car park at Lakeside Shopping Centre.

The 32-year-old told Thurrock’s Community Police Team officers he was looking for his ID when he got back into his car, shut the door and sped away.

Roads policing officers located the car shortly after midnight, being driven on the Brentwood stretch of the M25.

The Audi was followed into Kent as it travelled at a top speed of 150mph along the M20 for around a minute before it came to an abrupt stop on the hard shoulder having run out of fuel.

Officers discovered Saeed's true identity - and the fact he had already been banned from driving until March 2023 - after he was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving. 

He pleaded guilty to both offences at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court on September 19.

Appearing at Basildon Crown Court for sentencing on Tuesday, November 15, Saeed was jailed for 18 months for driving whilst disqualified and for two counts of dangerous driving. He has been banned from driving for three years and seven months.

PC Dan Corr from the Roads Policing Unit said: “Waqar Saeed knew he was disqualified from driving before he stepped behind the wheel of the car and he drove dangerously and without regard to all other road users that night in an attempt to evade arrest.

"But the great teamwork between the Community Police Team and Roads Policing Unit officers meant he was quickly arrested, reducing the risk to other road users.

“Saeed also had passengers in his car when he was arrested.

"Should he have crashed, it would have been catastrophic.

“Those drivers who pose a risk of high harm or carry out criminal activities on our roads will always be robustly dealt with.”