A HOLLY Hall man who took a milk truck and "put lives at risk" as he drove it at high speed in Worcestershire has been jailed.

Chase Edwards, aged 28, of Hallchurch Road, took the Nissan pick-up truck when a milk delivery driver left it as he made a doorstep delivery in School Bank, Ombersley, at about 7am on October 3 last year.

The milkman, John Hobbs, tried to grab the tailgate as the truck was driven away but couldn't hold on.

Worcester Crown Court heard how Mr Hobbs flagged down a passing woman motorist who drove him around to look for the truck but there was no sign of it.

Stephen Davies, prosecuting, said the police were alerted and a patrol saw the truck, which had 700 pints of milk on board, on the A4103 at Leigh Sinton, near Malvern.

Police decided it was too dangerous to keep following when the driver hit speeds up to 70mph in a 30 mph limit and overtook on the wrong side of the road.

The truck turned off the Worcester Road in Malvern where it hit a Honda car and a lorry waiting in traffic.

The car’s driver John Finch was trapped in his damaged vehicle and had to get out through the passenger side, Mr Davies said, and suffered injuries to his right side and neck.

Two more police patrols thought Edwards was going to ram them with the truck before he turned off to the hills. The truck was found abandoned in a quarry and Edwards was seen walking in Malvern where he was arrested.

Edwards pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicle taking as the court heard he had 25 convictions for 71 previous offences, including dishonesty and others involving vehicles, though he had never had a driving licence.

Nayan Patel, defending, said it was not the first time Edwards had taken a vehicle on a joy ride. He said Edwards had a long criminal career but was now tackling his drink and drugs abuse and his new partner was pregnant and had had a calming influence on him.

Judge Robert Juckes said Edwards had "put people's lives at risk" and jailed him for 15 months. He warned him that if he continued to offend he was likely to spend most of his life in prison.

Edwards also pleaded guilty to other motoring offences including failing to stop and driving with no insurance and he was also banned from driving for five years.