A 33-year-old driver “panicked” when police signalled for him to stop.

Instead, Edward Taylor accelerated off, swerving about the road before police forced him off the road into a lamp-post.

Taylor, who had been living in Annandale Gardens, Glenrothes, appeared at Dunfermline Sheriff Court by video-link from prison.

He admitted that on October 8 last year on the A92 westbound between Kirkcaldy and Lochgelly when driving a car, he failed to stop when required to do so by police.

He drove at excessive speed, swerved across the road, overtaking vehicles at speed and hitting a kerb.

He drove when unfit to do so through drink or drugs.

He drove without a valid licence and without insurance.

At Dunfermline police station he failed to provide a blood specimen.

Depute fiscal Andrew Brown said police officers saw Taylor’s Ford Fiesta weaving about the road at 45mph and checks showed there was no insurance on the vehicle.

Blue lights and sirens were activated but Taylor refused to pull over. He continued to drive erratically, turned off the A92 at Cowdenbeath then headed towards Mossmorran before taking the Crossgates road.

He was travelling at speeds of up to 80mph, overtaking vehicles and striking a kerb at one point.

Police decided to force him off the road and Taylor’s car hit a lamp-post before he was handcuffed and taken away.

The court heard that Taylor had only been released from jail a short time before the incident and had since returned there for another matter but will be back out soon.

Defence solicitor Alexander Flett said his client had “panicked” when he saw the police.

Sheriff Susan Duff imposed a community payback order with two years of supervision and 200 hours of unpaid work. She also ordered the forfeiture of the car involved and Taylor was banned from driving for two years.