A man who clipped one car before colliding with another and continued driving with smoke pouring from the back of the vehicle on a narrow city road has been jailed.

Glenn Whall, 49, of Timothy Close, off The Ridgeway, Norwich, appeared at Norwich Crown Court yesterday to be sentenced having previously pleaded guilty to one count of dangerous driving and another of driving while disqualified.

Ben Brighouse, prosecuting, said Whall, who also pleaded guilty to having no insurance and failing to stop, was driving his MG convertible on August 1 this year in the Ketts Hill area of Norwich.

Mr Brighouse said it was about 6.55pm when a woman driving a black BMW on Ketts Hill behind a VW Golf car became aware of the MG, being driven by Whall, on the opposite side of the road 'coming at speed'.

Mr Brighouse said: 'He hit the side wing mirror of the Golf and it keeps coming towards her at speed swerving into her car and hitting the front right hand side of her car.'

The court heard the collision caused 'considerable damage' to the BMW but that Whall's car 'kept on going up the hill' stopping briefly for a few seconds before driving off with the 'engine revving' a 'screeching sound' and 'smoke coming from the rear' of the car.

Mr Brighouse said within five minutes police officers had attended the defendant's address and spoke to his mother who told them her son had just driven back 'in that' and had gone to the Heartsease pub.

Whall was arrested at the pub and a roadside breath test was carried out which indicated he was over the legal limit for driving, although a conclusive test was not able to be carried out later.

When interviewed Whall told officers he knew he was disqualified and that his ban ran until September 16.

He said he wanted to 'take the car out for a spin' but had gone over a little island on Ketts Hill which damaged the traction and resulted in the collision.

Whall also told police he had consumed alcohol, but only two bottles of beer and was on valium as well.

Andrew Oliver, mitigating, said Whall, who helps care for his 77-year-old mother, had pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and should be given credit for doing so.

He described it as a 'foolish episode from beginning to end' and said that 'for reasons only known to him (Whall) he decided to take the car out near the end of the disqualified period'.

Mr Oliver said at the time Whall had only recently 'received some bad news in relation to his health' and led him 'needing to get out of where he was staying and think about what was happening to him'.

He said Whall had struggled all his adult life with alcohol and drug issues and now has 'real and proper concerns about his health' as a consequence of which he made a 'poor decision' to go out driving.

Sentencing Whall to six months imprisonment for dangerous driving and four months for driving while disqualified, to run concurrently, Judge Paul Downes said he had driven quickly and 'badly' on a narrow road which often has parked vehicles.