A policeman who crashed into a hotel said his only memory of the collision was being trapped in the wreckage.

PC Sean Allman, 38, of The Close, Brighton, who denies a charge of dangerous driving, gave evidence at Lewes Crown Court yesterday.

He could not remember anything before the crash in which his passenger, acting sergeant John Burgess, suffered a fractured pelvis and cuts to his head and arms.

Allman is accused of overtaking a police dog van, also on its way to an emergency call, and driving up the wrong side of Kingsway, Hove, on August 5 last year, when the street lights were not working The officer, who was off work with post-traumatic stress disorder until July this year, said he remembered being at Brighton police station.

His next recollection was being trapped in the wreckage of the marked Volvo estate patrol car. Firefighters had to cut the roof off to free the pair.

He was told how he and Mr Burgess, 48, were driving along the A259 and sent to an emergency in Lancing at about 11.30pm.

Witnesses described how the Volvo sped up to 70 or 80mph, went on to the wrong side of the dual carriageway, lost control and crashed into St Catherine's Lodge Hotel.

Allman said he regularly offsided, which means going into an opposite carriageway, on the A259 when on his way to an emergency. The decision was "a calculated action one takes at the time".

Richard Barton, prosecuting, put to Allman, who is married with two children: "You drove dangerously. You undertook a manoeuvre at high speed in the dark unnecessarily?"

Allman disagreed, saying he would not knowingly endanger anyone.

Robin Parker, a Sussex Ambulance driver for 20 years, said he regularly offsided on the A259 when answering 999 calls.

Retired CID officer Tom O'Connor, a neighbour of Allman, said he had seen him and Mr Burgess getting on well at a party.

He said: "John Burgess was nearly killed but obviously holds nothing against Sean Allman. I know he is the type of person to say if he did."

The case continues.