A MECHANIC who drove dangerously while disqualified from driving has been banned from the road for the next three and a half years.

Twenty-seven-year-old Cameron McDonald, of Newtown St Boswells, pleaded guilty to the offences which happened on the A72 at Walkerburn and Innerleithen on the night of February 14 last year.

Selkirk Sheriff Court said that officers in an unmarked police vehicle witnessed McDonald overtake a vehicle at around 75mph just past The Nest and eventually caught up with the vehicle in Walkerburn.

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But McDonald turned off down the Caberston to Traquair road at speed and it was decided it was too dangerous to pursue his vehicle.

Shortly afterwards McDonald passed the police officers and headed off in the direction of Innerleithen.

The vehicle was later found hidden behind garages in Innerleithen's Ploras Terrace.

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The vehicle was seized and McDonald eventually traced but refused to state who was driving the vehicle that night.

He pleaded guilty to charges of driving while disqualified, dangerous driving, no insurance and failing to tell police who was driving the vehicle.

McDonald received driving bans totalling three years and six months, 300 hours unpaid work and a night-time home curfew for the next nine months as a direct alternative to custody.