SHANE Byrne, who had £3,000 of stolen antiques in his car boot, reached speeds of 90mph in a desperate attempt to evade police, a court heard.

The chase started when Shane Byrne refused to pull over for police at the roundabout next to Wadworth Brewery in Devizes.

He drove through a set of traffic lights as police pursued him down the A361, before he abandoned his car on a farm track near Sells Green, and escaped on foot.

Byrne, 25, of no fixed address was later captured when a helicopter with heat sensitive equipment located him at a nearby farm.

Police discovered a woman and two small children in the back of his red Volkswagen Polo, and large quantities of silver and an antique clock were found in the boot.

Byrne pleaded guilty at Chippenham Magistrates Court on Monday to dangerous driving, dishonestly receiving stolen goods, driving without insurance and driving without a licence.

Nicola Wootton, prosecuting, said a resident in Bulkington, near Devizes, alerted police to the car at 3.10pm on May 27, when he saw a man running to the Volkswagen Polo and driving off.

A police officer noticed a car fitting the description while on patrol in Potterne.

She then followed the car into Devizes town centre and attempted to stop it by activating her blue lights.

Miss Wootton said the suspect's vehicle did not stop and overtook two vehicles as it accelerated to 40mph and headed into Bath Road, which has a 30mph limit.

The court heard the car increased speed to 50mph and overtook another two vehicles before accelerating to speeds of up to 90mph on the A361.

Miss Wootton said that at a blind right hand bend leading on to the A365 the car pulled across double white lines at 70mph.

She said as the chase continued, officers in pursuit of the car saw traffic lights at Seend on the A365 change to red.

But Byrne ignored them and drove through into Sells Green at 40mph.

Without warning the car turned right into a farm track, accelerating hard.

Byrne then dropped his speed to 20mph and did a handbrake turn in front of the officer in the pursuing car.

Miss Wootton said he then got out of the car and ran away from the scene.

She said the police helicopter was alerted and Byrne was later captured.

He initially gave a false name but later police identified him as Byrne.

Miss Wootton said: "He was not only a real danger to other road users, but also to the children in the car and the passenger."

She suggested that the court's powers were insufficient to deal with the case. Mike Jeary, defending, said he thought the case should be sent to the Crown Court.

The magistrates committed the case to Swindon Crown Court where it will be heard on August 15 and Byrne was remanded in custody.

The items found in the back of Byrne's car were identified as coming from the home he was seen running from in Bulkington.

In mitigation of the dangerous driving offence Mr Jeary said the Caen Hill stretch of the A361 is a dual carriageway and is ramrod straight.

"But nevertheless when the offences are combined the court may feel as a whole that it does not have sufficient powers," he said.