A learner-driver who borrowed his mate's car after a night's drinking to pick up his girlfriend, tried to outrun police, drove though a red light, and crashed into a woman waiting in a 4x4, was jailed on Wednesday.

Joe Bray, 20, was more than three times the limit after drinking heavily the previous night with the owner of the car.

Stirling Sheriff Court was told that the mid-morning incident began when officers in a police van in Stirling noticed a VW Golf being driven "in an erratic manner at excessive speed" in front of them.

Prosecutor Ann Orr said that at times the Golf was on the wrong side of the road, and there were "sudden manoeuvres being carried out".

Mrs Orr said the officers caught up with the Golf on Goosecroft Road, Stirling, which passes the city's Thistles Shopping Centre, where it had stopped for traffic lights.

The depute fiscal said: "The officers activated the flashing blue lights on their van to get the driver to stop, but while the lights were still red the Golf drove off on the wrong side of the road."

A woman waiting on the other side of the lights in a Toyota Hilux pickup saw the Golf coming towards her, and then there was "a head-on collision".

Bray leapt out of the driver's seat of the Golf and ran off.

Police gave chase, and he was arrested.

He failed a breath-test at the scene and was taken to Stirling police station where gave a breath sample that proved on analysis to contain 70 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres, nearly 3.2 times the legal limit, which is 22.

His details were checked, and it emerged he held only a provisional driving licence, and was uninsured. He was alone in the Golf at the time of the incident, not accompanied by a qualified driver, and the car was not displaying L-plates.

Bray, of Garvel Drive, Barlanark, Glasgow, pleaded guilty to drink-driving, having no insurance, the L-plate offence, and careless driving. He had originally been charged with dangerous driving, but the prosecution accepted his plea to the reduced charge of carelessness.

Defence solicitor Ian Brechany said Bray had passed his test since the incident, which occurred on September 6, 2015 and had a very well-paid job, taking home over £500 a week.

Mr Brechany said: "He had received a phone call from his then partner who asked him to pick her up, and, his inhibitions having been lowered by the alcohol he had taken he made the ridiculous decision to do so.

"When he saw the police vehicle, he panicked."

Sheriff Wyllie Robertson jailed Bray for six months, and banned him from driving for two years.

He said: "Your solicitor has acknowledged the seriousness of your position, and it is indeed serious.

"You took a decision to drive while over three times the limit, and in this drunken state you tried to get away from the police when they signalled you to stop, and went across the road and drove head-on into a car waiting at traffic lights.

"You shouldn't have been in the car at all without someone else, and certainly not when you were drunk."

Sheriff Roberston said that Bray had a criminal record that was "noteable for its variety".

He added: "No sentence other than custody is appropriate."