A police officer believed a driver had stopped to let his patrol car pass before a collision between the vehicles.

PC Brett Grisbrook, who was a passenger in the patrol car, was giving evidence at the trial at Lewes Crown Court of his colleague PC Tim Temple, who has denied a charge of dangerous driving.

The jury heard the accident happened in Lewes Road, Brighton, on the evening of August 1 last year when the two officers were answering an emergency call after a burglar alarm was set off at a newsagents in Coombe Road.

As the patrol car headed north along Lewes Road, Temple moved on to the wrong side of the road to avoid a build up of traffic at the junction with Southover Street.

However, the patrol car was in collision with a Renault turning right into Southover Street.

The prosecution say Temple, 29, of Chichester Place, Brighton, was driving dangerously and at speeds of up to 50mph in a 30mph zone.

PC Grisbrook told the jury the traffic was trying to get out of the way of the patrol car as it approached with its lights flashing and the two-tone siren switched on.

He said the opposite side of the road was completely clear and Temple crossed over to avoid a cluster of cars near the Southover Street junction.

He said: "Most of the cars had pulled into the left-hand lane allowing us space but the Renault stayed in the right-hand lane.

"My interpretation was the Renault had seen us and had pulled over on to the hatch markings and was going to wait for us.

"I did not see it indicating to turn right."

The officer said as the patrol car passed, the Renault turned right and the two vehicles collided.

After the impact the patrol car mounted the pavement, slammed into a wall and hit a lamp post. The police car was wrecked.

The jury heard the driver of the Renault suffered a whiplash injury. Temple and PC Grisbrook were shaken but uninjured.

The trial continues.