A court has heard how a man charged with dangerous driving failed to react to slowing traffic ahead of him, causing a five-car collision which gave ten people whiplash.

Wayne Davidson, 32, from Thetford Road, in Wretham, Thetford, was due to appear in Great Yarmouth Magistrates Court on January 4 charged for driving without insurance and without due care and attention along the A47 Acle Straight on June 23 this year.

Though he failed to show, and did not enter a plea in absentia, the hearing progressed without him.

Neil Carr, prosecuting, said: "The defendant is charged with driving without due care and attention in that he failed to react to vehicles slowing down ahead of him in time, colliding with the rear of an Audi A3, which was shunted into the rear of a Ford Fiesta, which was shunted into the rear of a Ford Mondeo, which in turn was shunted into the rear of a Hyundai IX35.

"All the vehicles were damaged and all the occupants received whiplash and bruising.

"There were no serious injuries, but whiplash does take some time to recover from."

Mr Carr added that passengers in the affected cars also received whiplash from the force of the shunt.

Meanwhile Davidson's own vehicle, a Mitsubishi Shogun, was found to be without insurance on June 23.

The court's legal adviser said that Davidson already has six penalty points from a speeding offence dating back to 2018.

She noted that since the minimum licence endorsement for driving without insurance was six penalty points, Davidson was at risk of disqualification. For that reason, the hearing was adjourned until February 2 in Great Yarmouth for magistrates to consider that course of action with the defendant present.

At the time of the collision, a large section of the Acle Straight had to be closed while both Norfolk police and the Norfolk and Suffolk Roads and Armed Policing Team made the area safe and dealt with injuries.

Following the road closure a 27-mile diversion had to be put in place.