A DRINK driver is paying the cost today, after driving at a policeman and leading officers on a high-speed chase before crashing into a wall.Steven Carroll, of Cobbold Road, Woodbridge, ran off after the impact and hid in the undergrowth - but a police dog tracked him down.

A DRINK driver is paying the cost today, after driving at a policeman and leading officers on a high-speed chase before crashing into a wall.

Steven Carroll, of Cobbold Road, Woodbridge, ran off after the impact and hid in the undergrowth - but a police dog tracked him down.

The 26-year-old was more than twice over the legal alcohol limit when he got in to his car to pick his stranded girlfriend up.

Carroll, who works in Rendlesham, pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol and driving without insurance at South East Suffolk Magistrates Court yesterday .

Stephen Colman, prosecuting, told the court that on December 21 a policeman saw Carroll driving his blue Citroen Saxo along Ipswich Road, Woodbridge.

Pc Alistair Livingstone, who was patrolling in his car, followed the Saxo in to Turner Gardens when he saw the car's fog light on.

The policeman signalled for Carroll to stop with the illuminated police. But seeing Carroll reversing, the policeman angled his car to partially block the exit and opened his car door to create a full barrier.

He put his hand up to signal Carroll to stop, but the 26-year-old accelerated so that Pc Livingstone had to close the car door fearing it would be damaged and Carroll sped away.

The car was then later seen at 1.20am travelling along Ipswich Road and turning on to the A12 north bound. The police gave chase but they could not keep up. However the Saxo was later found smashed in to a small brick wall in Seckford Hall Road, Great Bealings, but Carroll was nowhere to be seen.

A sniffer dog searched the undergrowth in the nearby area and Carroll was found hiding 20 metres away from the car in a field and he was arrested.

A breath test showed that Carroll had 93 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35.

Carroll, who represented himself, told the magistrates: "I regret what I did, there was a reason for being out in the car that night, although it is not an excuse.

"My girlfriend had had a bad night out, she couldn't get a taxi and that was the reason I was in the car.

"In regards to driving away from the police officer - I wasn't 100 per cent sure the policeman wanted to stop me as the car didn't have its flashing lights on. But I do admit to all charges and I am really sorry for what I have done."

Carroll was subsequently disqualified from driving for 12 months. He was given a 100 hour community punishment order, offered a 24 month drink driving rehabilitation course and ordered to pay £45 court costs and £1,000 compensation to the owner of the damaged brick wall.

There was no separate penalty for driving without insurance.

David Brook, 79, of Birds Hill, Seckford Hall Road, today told how he was woken up by the sound of his wall crashing down.

He said: "I heard a loud crash and shortly after a police car arrived and arrested the drunken driver.

"They come down here too fast and don't realise that they have to stop for a junction. He must have started breaking or something and then veered into the wall. We are waiting to have it rebuilt now but it's just annoying really.

"It's not the first time it has been knocked down."