A stolen BMW reached speeds of more than 100 mph as it approached Ruthin along the A525 from the Denbigh direction.

It was driven the wrong way around the Glasdir roundabout and sped along Denbigh Road and Park Street at about 70 mph before the pursuing officers lost sight of it.

It was next seen travelling at speed down the Horseshoe Pass where again police chased it but the vehicle was abandoned in Llangollen.

Two burglars abandoned their clothes on a canal path and they and the driver went into a pub.

Police arrested two of them in the pub while the third was able to slip away and catch a bus.

But officers realised what was going on, stopped the bus and arrested him, Mold Crown Court was told on Tuesday.

Paul Greenough, aged 30, of Riverbank in Bagillt and Jack Lavelle, 25, of Victoria Road in Prestatyn, were each jailed for two years after they admitted the burglary and being carried in a stolen car taken in aggravated circumstances.

Leon Lavelle, 29, of Brearley Avenue in Wolverhampton, admitted dangerous driving on the Denbigh Road, The Nant y Garth pass and the Horseshoe pass.

The defendant Leon Lavelle denied the burglary and that was allowed to remain on the file.

He was jailed for 18 months and was banned from driving for 35 months after he admitted aggravated vehicle taking and dangerous driving.

Prosecutor David Mainstone told how victim Gareth O'Loughlin returned home to his bungalow at Dalar Wen in Denbigh on the morning of November 2 to find three men coming from his home.

He asked what they were doing, and they said that they were "after someone" .

But then, "as calm as you like" they got into his £40,000 BMW and drove off in it.

The owner alerted police and found that the house had been burgled, the keys had been taken together with other items.

Within four minutes a police officer parked at The Drovers' public house at Rhewl saw the stolen car speed past.

The officer gave chase and dash cam footage – played to the court - showed the car travel at speed towards Ruthin.

There were dangerous overtaking manoeuvres.

Mr Mainstone said that the police car reached 100 mph but the BMW pulled away, went around the roundabout the wrong way, and drove along Denbigh Road at speed – about 70 mph in a 30 mph area.

As the police car arrived at Borthyn the BMW was disappearing at the far end of Park Road.

An officer later saw the car travelling at speed down the Horseshoe Pass and turned around to give chase but it disappeared out of sight.

The defendants were arrested after the vehicle was abandoned in Llangollen.

Mr Mainstone said the journey from Rhewl to Llangollen should take 30 minutes but the BMW completed it in under 20 minutes which was an indication of its speed.

Judge Rhys Rowlands said the property had clearly been targeted because of the car outside.

Shortly afterwards police saw the car at Rhewl and pursued it – but there then followed a protracted piece of "quite appalling dangerous driving".

The car reached a very high speed on the approach to Ruthin, went the wrong way around a roundabout, passed a school in Denbigh Road at speed and drove through a pedestrian cross at speed while people were waiting to cross.

Judge Rowlands said the car was seen driving very fast down the Horseshoe Pass, a dangerous road where there had been a number of fatalities.

The BMW was abandoned undamaged but the judge said that it had been a "truly appalling piece of bad driving at very, very high speed in a determined attempt to get away from the police."

All burglary was serious and it had a particularly profound effect on the victim and his partner.

"It is truly dreadful that in this day and age that people are made to feel unsafe in their own homes because of their likes of you," he said.

Andrew Green, for Greenough, said that it was a serious burglary aggravated by his previous record.

But he had an enhanced status in custody and had a trusted job.

Robin Boag, for Jack Lavelle, said that he was not the brains in the offence but he went along with it.

He accepted his responsibility and when released intended to move away and make a fresh start.

Mark Kellett, for Leon Lavelle, said that while it was a poor piece of driving which caused a significant risk, there had been no collision or injury although that was probably good fortune.

His wife was standing by him and they had moved to Wolverhampton to make a fresh start.

"He knows he has gone to sort his life out," Mr Kellett explained.