AN unlicensed driver who did a burnout in front of police after they tried to intercept him and drove at speeds of more than 150km/h on the wrong side of the road to evade them was "pretty close" to going to jail, a court has been told.

The Mildura Magistrates' Court heard 31-year-old Leigh Jack Jones was seen by police parking a vehicle with false number plates near a known drug house in November 2023 before driving away.