A bereaved driver hit 60mph, jumped a red light and went on the wrong side of the road as he tried to shake off a police car, a court heard.

Ashley Wood had about £3,000 in a bag and officers began to follow him because he tried to hide his face while at the wheel of a silver BMW on the Broxtowe estate.

As they turned their car to pursue him, he reached 50mph on Seaton Crescent where the limit is 30mph, said Sarah Smith, prosecuting.

"They had illuminated their blue lights and he failed to stop and they put their sirens on. He continued driving at speed and overtook another car, reaching 60mph in a 30 limit.

"He went through a red light and overtook some more cars as well. He went onto the wrong side of the road and when it came to a stop, he ran into the Bluecoats School grounds," said Miss Smith.

The 28-year-old was spotted dropping a hoodie into a bin. The clothing contained cannabis while there was "about £3,000 in a bag" with documents linked to Wood, of Sherbourne Road, Aspley.

Miss Smith told Nottingham magistrates: "He said he ran from the officers because he was a little bit scared because he had a large amount of cash and also some weed. He said he smoked cannabis himself."

Wood pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and having cannabis on November 8. An interim driving ban was imposed and he was sent to Nottingham Crown Court for sentence on January 30. A judge will decide on the length of the disqualification.

Nadir Prabatini, mitigating, said the pursuit took place at 1.45pm and lasted for only three minutes.

"It covered no more than 500 yards because the roads are very closely bound. It is almost a rabbit warren but he accepts what he did was wrong," said Mr Prabatini.

He told the court that Wood had "behaved impeccably" for two years and had "become a model father" with a second child due shortly. He had been badly upset by the death of his grandfather four days before the incident.

"His grandfather raised him as a child," said Mr Prabatini, who told the court that the death prompted Wood to smoke some cannabis.

Presiding magistrate Paul Roberts, who sat with two other JPs, told Wood: "We feel this is so serious we should send it to the crown court.

"You now can't drive, do you understand that? Driving while disqualified is a very serious offence, OK?" Wood replied:" Yeah."