A DRUGS haul worth up to £1,000 was recovered from a Herefordshire motorist after a 100mph car chase.

Police began following a Mitsibishi Colt after seeing it travelling fast and the incident ended in Studley, near Redditch, after the car mounted the kerb and skidded to a halt, Worcester Crown Court heard.

Darren Childs ran from the vehicle but he was caught and taken back to a patrol car.

He then began complaining about a broken leg and was seen shaking it, said Abigail Nixon, prosecuting. A package containing heroin with a street value of between £670 and £1,000 fell out of his trousers.

Childs, aged 32, Passey Court, The Square, Kington, was convicted by a jury of possesion of heroin with intent to supply.

He pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, driving without a licence or insurance and failing to stop for police.

Jailing him for six years with a four year driving ban, Judge Andrew Geddes said the fact that it was a repeat offence made it an aggravating feature.

In July 2001, Childs was also jailed for six years for a similar drugs crime and burglary.

But he was released early after serving two years.

The new jail term will start in July next year, when he finishes serving his outstanding prison licence for the first drug offence.

Childs was chased by police from Mappleborough Green to Studley on October 11, 2005.

He said he sped away because he had no driving licence but denied any knowledge of the package or its contents.

Childs - who had a record of 28 offences and formerly lived in Redditch - bought the drugs in Birmingham for £280 to distribute among friends who had clubbed together, said Sean Logan, defending.

Childs was not a commercial operator and had a £60 a day heroin habit himself. While in jail he had kicked drugs and was determined to remain free of them in the future.