Ex-footballer spared jail term

Claridge was was also disqualified from driving for 12 months and ordered to do 150 hours unpaid community work when he appeared at Birmingham Crown Court.

Claridge, 42, was found guilty of the offence last month after jurors heard that he drove at speeds of around 100mph in treacherous conditions.

The soccer pundit, of Fareham, Hampshire, was pulled over by an unmarked police car on the southbound carriageway of the M42 between junctions 4 and 3 on December 30, 2006, after repeatedly undertaking other vehicles.

During his trial at Coventry Crown Court, Claridge said he was trying to leave the motorway to find a toilet.

Claridge said he was driving at "slightly in excess of 70mph" and denied that it was raining at the time.

He told the court: "It certainly wasn't dangerous. It wasn't the best bit of driving I have ever done but it wasn't dangerous."

But Nigel Wilkins, prosecuting, said Claridge drove at high speed on wet roads, repeatedly switching lanes and causing other drivers to "brake sharply in order to let him in". It was, he said, a "consistent piece of dangerous driving".

Following the verdict, the court heard that Claridge already has nine points on his driving licence.

Claridge has previously played for a string of professional clubs, including Leicester City, Birmingham City and Portsmouth. He was driving home from Blackpool after compiling a scouting report when he was pulled over, he told the court.