POLICE nearly collided with a Fiat Abarth being driven in the middle of a road in Wigglesworth, heard Skipton magistrates.

Sarah Moorhouse, 26, was driving home an unwelcome late night caller when she had lost control on a bend, the court heard.

The two officers in a marked police car made a u-turn in the unclassified road between Tosside and Grunsagill and followed her, but only caught up when the Fiat crashed off the road.

Moorhouse, who had admitted driving without due care and attention at an earlier hearing, was due to stand trial on a second careless driving charge, failing to stop when required by a police officer and driving while unfit through drugs.

But after she admitted the failing to stop charge and an expert for the prosecution failed to turn up, no evidence was offered on the remaining two charges.

Prosecuting, Charles Macrae said it was 12.15am on March 8 when Moorhouse nearly collided with the police car near Wigglesworth.

The officers had started chasing the car, which was heading towards Tosside, but only managed to catch up with it after Moorhouse lost control and left the road.

After providing a positive roadside breath test, she was taken to Skipton Police Station where because of the borderline reading, she chose to provide a urine test.

Moorhouse, of Settle Road, Bolton-by-Bowland, had been anxious to get the man - the then partner of her best friend - out of her house because of his behaviour, the court heard.

In mitigation, John Mewies said she had not mentioned it to the police at the time because of misguided loyalty to her friend and because of of fear of him.

After sending Moorhouse a text message, the man had turned up at her remote house, where she had been alone.

Mr Mewies said she had asked him to leave, had tried to organise a taxi, but had been left with no option but to drive him home to Hellifield herself. She had panicked at the sight of the police car and the man had got out of the car when it had stopped at a junction and set off walking home.

Moorhouse, a woman of no previous convictions, had an HGV licence because she was an event rider, added Mr Mewies.

For driving without due care and attention, her licence was endorsed with six penalty points and she was fined £200 with costs of £160 and victims surcharge of £20. There was no separate penalty for failing to stop for an officer.