Lincolnshire Police release footage of dramatic midnight pursuit of dangerous driver around Long Sutton and Sutton Bridge area

Police have shared footage of a midnight pursuit of a dangerous driver behind the wheel of a cloned car.

On Tuesday, Josh Lake (30) – who was already disqualified from the roads despite never passing a driving test – was slapped with three separate suspended prison sentences following the chase, which took place along a riverbank and narrow country roads around the Long Sutton and Sutton Bridge area.

He had two passengers in the vehicle at the time.

Officers from Lincolnshire Police’s specialist operations department pursued the car before the vehicle came to a halt after it had been stung in the early hours of Thursday, July 2.

When officers spotted the silver X3 BMW, which had false plates, they indicated the driver must stop.

However, Lake, no fixed address, failed to do so and continued driving before travelling over a stinger device which deflated the tyres.

Police have decided to share footage of the pursuit – which begins as the vehicle enters Port Sutton Bridge – from the driver’s body-worn video to demonstrate the ‘challenges faced and professionalism shown’ by officers.

The car was noticed at 00.10 am on the A17, officers requested the vehicle stop, but the driver failed to stop and a pursuit was authorised.

The video shows the BMW driven by Lake travelling at high speeds along West Bank, which runs alongside the river Nene, which was at full tide.

Lake could have lost control of the vehicle at any point while driving on the rough grassed track and entered the water.

There were two other people in the car, a woman and a man, both in their 20s.

“As the pursuit continued, he showed no regard for anyone else that may have been using the roads, coming in the other direction, or other road users such as pedal cyclists,” a police statement read.

Inspector Carrie Diamond of Lincolnshire Police’s Armed Roads Policing unit said: “Our officers are highly trained in pursuit driving, they constantly assess the risk to other road users and themselves.

“This driver didn’t have a full driving licence, he’s never passed a test and was disqualified already; he put his passengers at great risk and anyone else who may have been using the roads.

“We will always target drivers who should not be on the roads.

“Drivers who are not qualified, drivers who take risks with no thought to others or the injuries they may cause, and drivers who use our roads to commit crime, whether that’s by driving while disqualified, dangerously, or to break into someone’s house or premises; they will always be our focus.”

Lake pleaded guilty to offences of dangerous driving, disqualified driving, driving without insurance, fail to stop and possession of a controlled drug, an earlier hearing at Lincoln Magistrates Court.

The offence of failing to stop was dealt with at the initial hearing, he was fined £50.

He appeared at Lincoln Crown Court for sentencing for other offences on Tuesday (October 17).

He was handed an eight-month sentence, suspended for two years, for the offence of dangerous driving.

He was also banned from driving for 18 months and must take an extended re-test if he wishes to drive again.

Lake was also given a four-month sentence, suspended for two years, for the offence of disqualified driving and a two-month sentence, suspended for two years, for the offence of possession of a controlled drug.