A MAN has appeared in court following a horror smash in which a car crashed into the front of Greenock's Tesco supermarket.

Derek McKimm is alleged to have driven a Honda Civic into the path of several pedestrians before colliding with the building.

Prosecutors claim that the 47-year-old travelled dangerously and at excessive speed at the Dalrymple Street store on Friday, September 6.

The alleged incident is said to have caused extensive damage and the evacuation of customers who were in the shop at the time.

McKimm also faces charges of being unfit to drive through drink or drugs and of driving the car without a valid policy of insurance.

It is further alleged that he failed to provide a specimen of blood at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley on the same date.

The Crown claims this sample was required to ascertain the proportion of drugs in his blood at the time.

Police and Scottish Fire and Rescue Service personnel were called to the store at around 8.30pm on Friday in response to reports of a crash.

The store was open as normal on Saturday morning.

McKimm, of Market Drayton in Shropshire, appeared from custody at Greenock Sheriff Court, where defence solicitor Aidan Gallagher told Sheriff Anthony McGeehan that his client was pleading not guilty to all four charges against him.

Opposing an application for McKimm to be released on bail, the procurator fiscal depute told a brief hearing that the alleged incident "could have been catastrophic".

She added that the accused "allegedly narrowly missed several vulnerable customers".

Sheriff Anthony McGeehan said: “The Crown have chosen to proceed with this matter by way of summary complaint.

“I am prepared to grant bail.

“Seizure of the car, at this stage, is granted.”

McKimm is due to return to court on January 23, while a pre-trial hearing was set down for December 31.