A LORRY driver has been commended by a judge at Worcester Crown Court for stopping the erratic driving of a Bromsgrove newsagent on the M5.

Darren Burton, of Shard End, Birmingham, ended an 11-mile chase by pulling his truck in front of the Vauxhall Cavalier driven by Jhalman Singh and grabbing the ignition keys.

Judge Andrew Geddes said that Singh, who later refused a breath test, was clearly intoxicated and could have caused a serious accident.

He awarded Mr Burton £50 from public funds.

Singh, aged 60, of Heath Lane, West Bromwich, was remanded in custody after being convicted of dangerous driving.

He was said to have previous convictions which included seven years jail for causing grievous bodily harm and four years for rape.

Stefan Kolodynski, prosecuting, said Singh had cut up the lorry on the approach to the motorway at Junction One, near West Bromwich, and was then seen to swerve between lanes.

At one stage, Singh actually stopped his car on the motorway, forcing another lorry to swerve sharply into lane two, with Mr Burton's HGV coming to a halt just a foot from the back of the Vauxhall Cavalier.

"I had to brake, too, and stopped a foot behind the Cavalier," Mr Burton told the jury. "It was a very frightening experience."

Mr Burton contacted police on his mobile phone, and followed Singh off the motorway at Junction Four. As the two vehicles approached the roundabout, the lorry driver pulled his vehicle in front of Singh's to block him in and removed the keys from the car.

PC Richard Janes claimed Singh appeared drunk. On three occasions he failed to provide a roadside breath specimen, the court heard.

Singh, who told the court he lost his job following the incident, denied that he had been swerving on the motorway, or that any lorries had been forced to brake behind him.

He claimed that Mr Burton had been abusive to him back at Junction One.