A 22-YEAR-OLD man was caught behind the wheel less than an hour after he had been banned from driving.

Blackburn magistrates heard that after a brief chase Mark Anthony Parry jumped out of his car while it was still moving and ran off.

He was caught driving again just 10 days later but defence solicitor Andrew Church-Taylor said the problem was one of homelessness as much as a wilful disregard for the orders of the court.

He revealed that Parry had been living in various motor vehicles for the last four months after being thrown out by his mum.

Parry, of Rothesay Road, Blackburn pleaded guilty to two charges of driving while disqualified, obstructing a police officer and failing to stop after an accident. He was remanded on bail until November 17 for the preparation of pre-sentence reports with a warning that all options, including custody, would be open to the sentencing bench.

David Macro, prosecuting, said Parry appeared before Blackburn magistrates on October 16 and was disqualified for 12 months. At 11.30 that morning he was seen driving. Officers gave chase and after driving into Westbury Gardens, Parry jumped out of the car and it crashed into a wall. He ran off but was found hiding in a garden.

"What the police didn't know of at that stage was the ban that had only just been imposed," said Mr Macro.

Mr Church-Taylor said that after his mother asked him to leave her home Parry had at first relied on the hospitality of friends.

"He was then forced to start living in motor vehicles and that is where he has been living for the last few months," said Mr Church-Taylor. "In effect, he was driving his home." He said that while Parry had been in custody his girlfriend had spoken to his mother and she had agreed that he could return to her home in Rothesay Road.