A MAN driving an uncovered skip lorry led police on a lengthy chase around the roads of East Lancashire – only stopping once the wheels of his vehicle had been punctured.

The bulky contents of the overflowing skip could be seen falling out onto the roads of Blackburn and Hyndburn as Lee Duckworth raced around the streets reaching speeds of more than 60mph.

During the 10-minute-long pursuit, Duckworth skipped a red light and exposed the public to ‘potentially fatal consequences,’ Mr Recorder Paul Taylor said.

Footage played in court by prosecutor Lisa Worsley revealed the extent of Duckworth’s dangerous driving, speeding around Blackburn before crossing the A6119 and hurtling up Whalley Old Road, with debris flying.

The 29-year-old disqualified driver said that he got behind the wheel of the vehicle in a bid to make some cash by carrying out a job for a friend, Preston Crown Court heard.

And while on this occasion Duckworth was not charged with driving while under the influence of drugs, he was found to have traces of substances in his system, which his defence barrister said had been taken the day before.

By getting behind the wheel of the skip lorry, the father-of-one was in breach of a suspended sentence order placed upon him in December 2020, when he appeared in court for a similar offence of dangerous driving while under the influence and driving a livestock vehicle.

Recorder Taylor said: “These current offences are more serious than those of the previous conviction for a number of reasons. Number one, you were driving an overladen skip lorry and its load had not been secured. Items, some bulky, fell off the vehicle as you drove along.

“Two - you were disqualified from driving. Three, driving that vehicle in that state, at 60mph in a 30 limit and 45mph in a 20 limit, exposed the public to potentially fatal consequences.

“Similarly, driving through a red light at about 20mph exposed the public to severe harm.

“It is an aggravating feature of this case that you tried to escape from the police. The pursuit lasted around 10 minutes and only ended when your tyres were burst by a stinger.”

Defending Duckworth of Lime Street, Accrington, Anna Bond argued that her client should not have his suspended sentence activated on the basis that doing so would have a profound impact on those he cares for – including his four-year-old son and his mother.

Ms Bond also said there was a realistic prospect of rehabilitation, that Duckworth had addressed his substance misuse issues and that he had not offended since July.

Recorder Taylor concluded: “The law requires suspended prison sentences to be activated unless it is unjust to do so.

“Balancing the seriousness of the current offences against those two factors, it is clear it is not unjust to activate the sentence.”

Four months of Duckworth’s previous sentence was activated, to run concurrently with 14 months in prison for the new sets of offences.

He was also further disqualified from driving and must take an extended retest before he can legally get behind the wheel again.