A 'reckless' motorist who drove dangerously through roadworks causing a serious crash has been banned from the road for two years.

Robert John Stitfall, 53 and of Wiltshire Avenue in Weymouth, was sentenced at Weymouth Magistrates’ Court after pleading guilty to dangerous driving.

On the afternoon of Wednesday, January 25 Stitfall was driving an Alfa Romeo courtesy car along the eastbound carriageway of the A35 Upton bypass, close to the A350 interchange near Poole.

Major roadworks were underway on the road with a closure on lane two and the 70mph speed limit reduced to 30mph.

Stitfall left the Bakers Arms roundabout and was seen to overtake nine slower moving vehicles at very high speed on the approach to the lane two closure – accelerating throughout to 70, 80 and 90mph.

Witnesses described the vehicle as 'swerving erratically' while overtaking and said his manner of driving was 'dangerous, reckless and suicidal.'

He failed to slow down or react to the coned taper and lane closure and forced two cars to steer to the left to allow Stitfall to pass. After forcing his way past the two cars, he drove straight into the back of a Land Rover Discovery.

The collision forced the Discovery further up the road while the Alfa Romeo spun off the road, hit traffic cones and came to rest on the grass central reservation.

Stitfall was trapped inside the vehicle and sustained serious injuries to his face, teeth, chest and hip. He had to be cut free from the car and was taken to Poole Hospital before being transferred to Southampton General Hospital for specialist treatment.

The driver of the Discovery and his front seat passenger suffered slight injuries and were taken to hospital for treatment.

Collision investigators examined the scene and discovered the engine cylinder head had been knocked off the engine block as a result of the collision.

The speedometer needle on the Alfa Romeo was found to be stuck at 100mph.

Police Sergeant Joe Pardey, of the Serious Collision Investigation Team, said: “Robert Stitfall’s driving on that day fell well below the standard expected of a competent and responsible driver. He put his life and that of other road users at risk and it is nothing more than luck that no one died that day.”

Stitfall was banned from driving for two years. 

He was also handed a 12-month community order and told he would have to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work, pay £250 court costs and an £85 victim surcharge.