A man has been jailed after he was found asleep at the wheel before driving at police officers when they woke him up.

Derek Muir has been sentenced to 18 months in prison after racking up his seventh conviction for dangerous driving, his 14th for driving while disqualified and his 14th for driving without insurance.

Muir was disqualified from driving for life in 2014 after he was convicted of stealing a vehicle and driving it dangerously while banned.

However, despite the ban he was found slumped at the wheel of a Seat Leon car on Emmock Road near the A90, Dundee, by a concerned motorist who was blocked by his stationery car.

The driver alerted police who turned up and found Muir still asleep.

Officers roused him and while they checked his details on police computer systems, Muir stuck the keys in the ignition and sped off.

Fiscal depute Charmaine Gilmartin told Dundee Sheriff Court Muir managed to squeeze his car between a police van and a grass verge before driving at speed towards officers getting out of another vehicle.

She said: "They had to leap away from being hit.

"He drove at high speed with his headlights off in the dark towards the A90.

"At that point he narrowly missed a third road police vehicle.

"That incident took place on December 19 at around 4.19am."

She added: "On December 26 at 6.25pm, police traced the accused and he was arrested.

"Intelligence was received that there may be drugs in the Transit van he was in.

"Amphetamines worth £510, cannabis resin worth £25, cocaine worth £630 and diamorphine worth £650 were found."

The 39-year-old, a prisoner at HMP Perth, pleaded guilty on indictment to driving dangerously, without a licence and without insurance on December 19 last year, and to possessing diamorphine, cocaine, amphetamines and cannabis resin on December 26.

Defence solicitor Paul Parker Smith said: "At that time his usual place of abode was this rather elderly Transit van.

"There's no shying away from the fact he was driving it regularly.

"He knows he has a bad record for road traffic offences.

"He will be 40 this year and he says he is too old for this now - it's time to grow up."

Sheriff Alastair Brown jailed Muir for 18 months and banned him from driving for nine years.

He said: "In view of your lifetime disqualification that may be academic."