Nearly died drivingthe car he had stolen

Firefighters freed Nicky Main, formerly of Miller Street, Carluke, who had been drinking, from the wreckage of the vehicle;his injuries had been potentially fatal.

Main, 30, now of Orchard Street, Overtown, admitted stealing a Renault Megane from a pal’s house in Lomond Drive, Wishaw, on July 31, 2018 and then driving it dangerously on the A73 through Carluke; drove while over the drink driving limit, without a proper licence and without insurance.

He also admitted driving dangerously on the A73 in Carluke, being over the drink limit, driving without a full licence and having no insurance cover.

Main was seen driving on the wrong side of the road around 7am then forced a bus driver to pull into the side to avoid a collision.

Shortly after this the Megane mounted the pavement and hit a wall. The car was a write-off.

Defence agent Tom Watters said Main was on medication for epilepsy and mixed it with alcohol.

Mr Watters explained: “He was under stress, having broken up with his partner.

“There was no planning or logic here. He thinks he was intending to go to his ex-partner’s home in Carluke.

“He is not a car thief in the normal sense, but his driving was appalling.”

Sheriff Thomas Millar jailed Main for a year, reduced from 16 months because of his guilty pleas, and banned him from driving for four years.

He told the accused: “There was a significant danger to the public here. A custodial sentence is inevitable.”