A hit-and-run driver who was almost four times the drink-drive limit when his car ploughed head-on into a police vehicle has escaped an immediate prison sentence.

Wolverhampton warehouseman Stuart Kelham was on the wrong side of the road at the time of the crash, in which an officer was injured. Instead of being sent to custody, Kelham had his 12-week jail term suspended for a year.

Deputy district judge Christopher Johnson said 44-year-old Kelham had drunk an “alarmingly high” amount of alcohol.

Wolverhampton Magistrates Court heard he was just a minute or two from home when the smash happened on November 13 last year. He did not stop after his Renault Scenic hit the police car in Deyncourt Road, Fallings Park, injuring the female sergeant who was behind the wheel, said Georgina Hewins, prosecuting.

Another driver saw the collision and followed the Renault as it veered from side-to-side across the road. Kelham was tailed to his home in nearby Newbold Road by the other motorist who then alerted police.

Officers went to the address and saw former lorry driver Kelham at an upstairs window but he refused to open the door and they had to break in, said Mrs Hewins.

A breath test later revealed he had alcohol readings of 124mg and 132mg in 100ml of breath. The legal limit for drivers is 35mg. Kelham admitted drink-driving, failing to stop after an accident and driving without due care and attention. But he argued that he had downed two cans of lager and a strong cider in the eight minutes after arriving home and being arrested.

His solicitor David Dorrance claimed a more accurate reading at the time of the collision would have been 81mg. He also claimed initially he did not realise he had hit the police car but in court yesterday admitted he had heard a bang but thought it was only the wing mirrors connecting.

As well as the suspended sentence, Kelham was banned from the roads for 30 months, told to do 100 hours of unpaid work, be supervised for a year and pay £300 towards prosecution costs.