A 'DANGEROUS' driver told jurors a crash outside a Cowley Road pub happened on an 'icy' road and claimed his brakes failed.

Omer Hussain, 29, of Cowley Road, Oxford, denies one count of dangerous driving.

Prosecutors allege that his driving fell below the standards of a 'careful and competent driver' when his BMW clipped a car at Cowley Road shortly after midnight on January 26 before crashing into railings near The City Arms pub.

Taking to the witness box as his trial at Oxford Crown Court continued today he said that while near the pub and at Southfield Road he tried to apply the brakes but the car didn't slow down.

He said: "As I was approaching the junction with the pub, I am coming close to it, I have braked. It was normal braking I have applied.

"As I went to press the brake I felt there was no grip on the road and the vehicle kept on travelling a little bit. It almost felt like the speed was increasing as I was coming to the end of the road."

He said as he emerged from the junction and saw the oncoming car he was 'in panic' and tried to steer clear before he crashed into the pub railings.

CCTV footage played to the court of the aftermath appeared to show Hussain then run up Magdalen Road, abandoning his car. Explaining his actions he told jurors that he had simply panicked.

The trial continues.