THE long arm of the law caught up with a drunk driver after police officers followed the trail of oil left by his crashed car.

Bournemouth Crown Court heard how Stuart Barrow, 30, was involved in three separate crashes before police officers tracked down his BMW to a building site in Poole on October 30 this year.

Barrow from Newfoundland Drive, Poole, admitted driving with excess alcohol, two charges of failing to stop after an accident and dangerous driving.

Prosecuting at Bournemouth Crown Court, Heather Shimmen said Barrow had ploughed into a Ford Fiesta waiting at traffic lights on Holes Bay Road in Poole.

“The driver got out to speak to him and he reversed away, driving around her. She shouted for him to stop, but he continued through red lights,” she said.

Police were called and officers spotted the BMW impaled on pedestrian railings in Kingland Road.

Ms Shimmen added: “The vehicle was extensively damaged but the driver managed to pull away, despite the presence of police officers. Oil was pouring from the engine and officers followed the trail to a construction site where the BMW had collided with a metal fence and flatbed truck.

They found Mr Barrow standing nearby.

“He was drunk and arrested.”

A breath test showed Barrow was more than two and a half times over the legal drink-drive limit.

In his defence, the court heard that he was a man of previous good character who had shown ‘overwhelming contrition’.

He had not stopped because he had panicked and had penned a letter to the judge expressing his remorse.

At the time of the offence, he had been ‘incredibly stressed’ by his parents’ divorce.

Judge Samuel Wiggs told Barrow: “You have come very close indeed to going straight to prison today.

“This is a very, very serious case.

“You had three accidents and far too much to drink.

“Someone could have been badly hurt or killed.”

He imposed a six-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, and ordered Barrow to complete 200 hours’ unpaid work.

Barrow was fined £300, disqualified from driving for two years and ordered to pay £175 prosecution costs.