A burglary gang member who fled from traffic cops and was unmasked by a McDonald's receipt before going on the run for almost two years has been jailed for two-and-a-half years.

Shocking footage showed the moment police tried to bring Patrick Jones' high-powered Audi A5 to a stop on the A500 in Cheshire, as the 28-year-old and his fellow thieves travelled back to Liverpool in November 2018.

Police said one of the traffic officers involved in the pursuit, which saw the Audi ram into police cars and swerve across the dual carriageway, described the chase as one of the worst cases of dangerous driving he had ever come across.

Jones was brought to a halt by at least four police units. He fled across the dual carriageway and was on the run until the end of June this year.

The Liverpool man's gang mates were rounded up and have already been sentenced for their part in a weekend-long spree that saw them break into five businesses in Salisbury, Semley and Mere between November 6 and 8, 2018. 

The five businesses targeted were: Heritage Automotive, South Newton Industrial Estate, Salisbury; Chaldicott Barns, Jet Board, Semley, Wiltshire; Block G QuarryFields, Mere; Wessex Water, Salisbury; and Hertz Storage Land, Salisbury. The gang attempted to burgle the Black Hole Storage Unit at the South Newton Industrial Estate, Salisbury. One business alone had an estimated £45,000-worth of goods stolen.

Officers from Wiltshire Police's community tasking team searched the Audi after Jones fled. They found a receipt from a McDonald's restaurant near Birmingham which was time stamped just prior to the pursuit.

Officers were able to retrieve CCTV of the Audi pulling up and the driver walking into the restaurant. A Liverpool police officer was able to identify him as Jones. 

Sentencing the man to two-and-a-half years imprisonment at Winchester Crown Court on Thursday, the Honorary Recorder of Salisbury Judge Andrew Barnett described the chase as "an appalling piece of driving, one of the worst cases of driving I've seen". Jones was banned from the roads for eight years and three months.

Following the sentence, Det Con Cerys Powell said: "We welcome the fact that Jones has been brought to justice thanks to the skill and dedication of officers from Wiltshire Police with the support of colleagues from neighbouring forces. We hope this sentence sends out a clear message that Wiltshire is not an easy target. We have the skill, dedication and resources to bring offenders to justice and will not hesitate to do so."