AN 11-YEAR-OLD York boy who crashed a doctor's car has been banned from driving and warned he could be locked up if he gets behind a steering wheel again.

And a 17-year-old who crashed two cars, wrote off a third and led police on a high-speed chase through a 30mph area has been given a 100-hour community punishment and a year's probation. He was also banned for a year and ordered to take an extended driving test before he can take a car out on his own.

York Youth Court heard how the two youngsters caused motoring mayhem on the city's streets.

The 11-year-old smashed the doctor's car into a wall in Grosvenor Terrace, causing £629 damage to the vehicle, said prosecutor Vivienne Walsh.

An eye-witness could barely see the child over the steering wheel, but watched as he shunted the car out of a parking place, across the road, up the pavement and into a wall. Then he caught the child as he fled from the wreckage.

The youngster, from north York, who admitted aggravated taking of a vehicle without consent, was warned he risked being locked up if he broke a 12-month driving ban, and he was also ordered to spend 12 hours at an attendance centre. His mother was also ordered to pay £100 compensation to the doctor.

Defence solicitor Craig Sutcliffe said the boy had long had behavioural problems, but was getting specialist help that seemed to be having an effect.

The court heard that the 17-year-old, also from north York, had never had formal driving instruction.

But he bought a small hatchback for £80, and pulled out of a junction in Malton Road and into the side of a truck.

He smashed head-on into a car at another junction - writing it off and injuring its driver so badly he could not kneel down for two months without pain - then abandoned the hatchback and fled.

Later, he went driving in icy conditions in the early hours, and when police tried to stop him, he made off through Haxby at speeds of 60mph, reached 74mph on the A1237 ring road and finally crashed the car on a clearly marked bend.

The youth, who pleaded guilty to two charges each of driving dangerously, without insurance and without a licence, and one of failing to answer police bail, said he had never had a driving lesson, but on each occasion a friend was with him giving him advice.

For the youth, Mark Thompson said he had panicked when waiting to drive into Malton Road and in Haxby. In recent months, he had had family difficulties that led to him leaving home.

Updated: 11:32 Wednesday, March 13, 2002