A repeat offender has been jailed and banned from the road for five years after being caught driving while disqualified and without insurance.

Charlie Gunning, 27, of Shakespeare Road in Royal Wootton Bassett, pleaded guilty to driving while disqualified and driving without insurance at Swindon Magistrate’s Court on November 27.

Officers stopped a BMW on London Road in the early hours of September 3 because it had an expired MOT and was only insured for women. After stopping and engaging with the officers, Gunning ran off.

A member of the public spotted him on November 26 after police issued a wanted appeal, which led to his arrest. He has been jailed for four months and banned from driving for five years.

PC Luke Hobbs said: “Driving while disqualified not only shows a complete disregard for the law and the judicial system but also is incredibly dangerous for fellow road users.

“This is not the first time this has happened, so I’m pleased that Gunning has been given a custodial sentence to reflect the serious nature of his actions.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the member of public who contacted us after a wanted appeal was put out for Gunning.

"The support of the public is incredibly important and was part of the reason we were able to get such a swift result in this case.

“We are fully committed to ensuring our roads are kept safe and these types of crimes are put before the courts to ensure we don’t have any unnecessary loss of life on the roads.”