Police are set to prosecute the driver of a car said to have led officers on a high-speed weekend chase through Hamilton.

The driver was arrested after the car smashed into a tree on Middle Road, Devonshire, slightly injuring one of the two passengers.

A Police spokeswoman said: "It is believed that the offending vehicle was involved in two other minor road traffic accidents as a result of the reckless driving.'' She added: "Investigations are under way and the three men in the car were detained and questioned.'' The incident is alleged to have begun around 7.30 p.m., when a car was seen to rocket through the lights at the junction of Hamilton's Court and Church Streets, causing vehicles on both sides of the road to swerve out of its way.

The driver of the car repeatedly ignored signals from officers on the crime-busting Task Force to pull over. Traffic units called in to assist were bypassed after the car went against the flow of traffic on Beacon Lane and ended up on Middle Road heading east.

The Police spokeswoman said: "At the junction with Parson's Lane, however, the driver failed to negotiate a right hand bend and collided with a tree on the nearside of the road.'' In a separate incident, two people on an auxiliary cycle suffered injuries when their machine was in collision with a taxi on South Road, Southampton, opposite the entrance to the Southampton Princess Hotel.

The driver of the cycle -- a 17-year-old Southampton youth -- suffered a broken leg and bruises to the face, while his passenger sustained concussion and facial injuries.

Two passengers in the taxi -- driven by a 64-year-old Hamilton Parish woman -- were also slightly injured. One suffered whiplash injuries and the other a cut ear.

The accident happened on Friday night. It is understood the taxi driver was turning into the hotel when she was overtaken by a cycle on the inside and braked sharply. The auxiliary cycle involved in the collision was travelling behind the taxi. Anyone who may have seen either incident is asked to contact Hamilton police on 295-0011 in connection with the Saturday incident and Western CID on 234-1010 in connection with the Southampton crash.