A man who drove the wrong way down the A1(M) for eight miles before crashing into a police car has been jailed.

Luke Goodall, 26, drove in the wrong direction southbound from Stevenage in the early hours of August 7.

He was sentenced today (Friday) at St Albans Crown Court after admitting dangerous driving and failing to provide a specimen for analysis.

He was jailed for eight months for the first charge, and four months for the second.

The court heard Goodall narrowly missed a number of vehicles as he sped along the motorway.

After the case, police released dramatic footage of the moment Goodall, of Orchards Way, Southampton, was stopped by Sgt Karl McDermott.

A roadblock was set up by police, and Goodall’s Ford Fiesta smashed into the police car.

Sgt MeDermott grabbed the dangerous driver from the car.

Sgt McDermott said: “Despite the time of night there was still fast-moving traffic on the motorway and the darkness meant drivers had minimal time to avoid the oncoming vehicle.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the many witnesses who came forward to provide evidence in this case. It is clear that a number of drivers were left in genuine fear for their lives after describing how Goodall only missed them by inches.

“Goodall is extremely lucky that he did not cause a serious collision that could have resulted in people getting killed or seriously injured. At the time he had no regard for how much danger he was in.”

After the sentencing, Inspector Phil Bloor said: “In some circumstances and always as a last resort when there is an immediate risk to life – as was the case in this incident – the only way to stop a dangerous driver is to put a physical barrier in their way.

“In this case I am certain that the actions of Sgt McDermott and other road policing officers on that night were all that stopped a serious collision from happening.

“The driver was removed from his car for his own safety.

“Given where the cars were stopped – the fast lane of a motorway – it was imperative that officers acted quickly to arrest him and remove the danger to the public, to themselves and to Goodall himself.

“I hope video footage brings home some of the dangers present on our roads and the lengths police officers will go to keep them safe for everybody.”