A biker who overtook police before leading them on a short, high-speed chase has been handed a suspended jail term.

Nicholas Allen was aboard a powerful Yamaha R6 sports bike when he went by the marked police car heading west on the M4 at just gone midnight in August, Bristol Crown Court heard.

When they noticed he was lightly dressed they went to stop him, but he sped off south on to the M5 before accelerating through red traffic lights into Bradley Stoke. He pulled up the machine just short of two miles and co-operated with the officers.

Allen, 25, of Ivy Farm, East Dundry, was fined £520 by magistrates for driving without the proper licence and insurance.

He also pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and was sentenced for that offence at the crown court.

Handing him a 36-week prison sentence, suspended for two years, judge Michael Roach told him: "It may be a short distance but your riding of that motorcycle was very dangerous. It's fortunate that nobody got knocked down."

Allen was told to carry out 120 hours' unpaid work over the next year and ordered to pay £250 prosecution costs.

He was banned from driving for two years and told to pass an extended driving test before returning to the road.

Rupert Vining, prosecuting, said the police car watched Allen's red tail-light as he accelerated away and they followed at 80mph. Police saw him go through two sets of red traffic lights and momentarily lost him from sight before he stopped for another police car up ahead, the court heard. Allen told police the bike wasn't his and he was due to sell it for somebody.

Jason Taylor, defending, told the court: "He places himself in a very foolish position; overtaking a police car and facing sentence for an offence which, for him, was out of character.

"The roads were almost deserted that evening, no other road users were in danger and Mr Allen stopped the motorbike voluntarily. He came to his senses in a relatively short distance and co-operated fully with the police."

Mr Taylor said his client was a mechanic who had gone through a "very foolish patch" before seeing the error of his ways.

"He is unlikely to come back before the courts again," he added.