By . Conor Sheils . PUBLISHED: . 10:22 EST, 10 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 10:33 EST, 10 April 2013 . A bungling bus thief has been jailed after he stole a coach from a depot to pick up his friends - before being tracked down by footprints he'd left in snow. CCTV showed Scott Dowdall, 29, breaking into the vehicle and driving it away in the early hours of March 22. He then drove to the bus station to pick up the group before abandoning it. Officers found the single-decker bus with its alarm going off and hazards flashing at around 4.45am. Stepping out on the town: Scott Dowdall was arrested by police following the drunken rampage after they followed a trail of his footprints in the snow . Dowdall stole the single decker stage coach following a night on the town with friends (File picture - bus similar to the vehicle stolen) They then followed a trail of footsteps left in the fresh snow, running from the vehicle to an address around half a mile away, where Dowdall was found unconscious on a sofa. Police described Dowdall, of Huthwaite, Nottinghamshire, as smelling strongly of alcohol and slurring his words when he was arrested. Prosecutor David Miles told Mansfield Magistrates Court that CCTV footage of the Stagecoach Depot in Mansfield showed Dowdall breaking into the vehicle and driving it away at around 3.15am. CCTV footage from Mansfield Bus Station later showed the vehicle picking up four people who 'appeared to then go to the back of the bus and urinate on the seats', Mr Miles told the court. 'When officers arrived at the bus it was abandoned in the middle of the road with its alarm going off. 'After they had dealt with the alarm, they noticed a set of fresh boot prints in the snow, leading from the vehicle towards some houses. 'They followed the trail to a door of a nearby property and discovered a pair of wet boots outside with a grip that matched the prints. 'Inside they discovered the defendant asleep on the sofa and when asked what he has been doing, he said that he couldn't remember.' Scott Dowdall hijacked a coach from Mansfied bus depot (pictured) in order to ferry his friends home following a night out . Dowdall was then taken to Mansfield Police Station where he refused a breath test because officers would not 'let him have a fag'. He admitted taking a motor vehicle without the owner's consent, failing to provide a specimen and driving while disqualified. He was jailed for four months. Dowdall's passengers were not in court and it is not known at what point they left the vehicle. Following the case, Pc Emma Ashton, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: 'Taking the bus home took on a whole new meaning for this individual. 'Instead of walking or getting a taxi home after his night out, he put his own life, and that of others on the road, in danger, made off with a vehicle and then left it blocking the road. 'It had been heavily snowing that evening and, when attending, officers noticed there were footprints leading from the bus. 'In a great piece of old-fashioned detective work they followed them, found Dowdall there and were able to make an arrest. 'Although no one was injured, this incident could have had a very different outcome.'
Scott Dowdall, 29, jailed for four months after stealing bus .
CCTV footage showed friends 'urinating' on coach seats .
By . Conor Sheils . PUBLISHED: . 10:22 EST, 10 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 10:33 EST, 10 April 2013 . A bungling bus thief has been jailed after he stole a coach from a depot to pick up his friends - before being tracked down by footprints he'd left in snow. CCTV showed Scott Dowdall, 29, breaking into the vehicle and driving it away in the early hours of March 22. He then drove to the bus station to pick up the group before abandoning it. Officers found the single-decker bus with its alarm going off and hazards flashing at around 4.45am. Stepping out on the town: Scott Dowdall was arrested by police following the drunken rampage after they followed a trail of his footprints in the snow . Dowdall stole the single decker stage coach following a night on the town with friends (File picture - bus similar to the vehicle stolen) They then followed a trail of footsteps left in the fresh snow, running from the vehicle to an address around half a mile away, where Dowdall was found unconscious on a sofa. Police described Dowdall, of Huthwaite, Nottinghamshire, as smelling strongly of alcohol and slurring his words when he was arrested. Prosecutor David Miles told Mansfield Magistrates Court that CCTV footage of the Stagecoach Depot in Mansfield showed Dowdall breaking into the vehicle and driving it away at around 3.15am. CCTV footage from Mansfield Bus Station later showed the vehicle picking up four people who 'appeared to then go to the back of the bus and urinate on the seats', Mr Miles told the court. 'When officers arrived at the bus it was abandoned in the middle of the road with its alarm going off. 'After they had dealt with the alarm, they noticed a set of fresh boot prints in the snow, leading from the vehicle towards some houses. 'They followed the trail to a door of a nearby property and discovered a pair of wet boots outside with a grip that matched the prints. 'Inside they discovered the defendant asleep on the sofa and when asked what he has been doing, he said that he couldn't remember.' Scott Dowdall hijacked a coach from Mansfied bus depot (pictured) in order to ferry his friends home following a night out . Dowdall was then taken to Mansfield Police Station where he refused a breath test because officers would not 'let him have a fag'. He admitted taking a motor vehicle without the owner's consent, failing to provide a specimen and driving while disqualified. He was jailed for four months. Dowdall's passengers were not in court and it is not known at what point they left the vehicle. Following the case, Pc Emma Ashton, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: 'Taking the bus home took on a whole new meaning for this individual. 'Instead of walking or getting a taxi home after his night out, he put his own life, and that of others on the road, in danger, made off with a vehicle and then left it blocking the road. 'It had been heavily snowing that evening and, when attending, officers noticed there were footprints leading from the bus. 'In a great piece of old-fashioned detective work they followed them, found Dowdall there and were able to make an arrest. 'Although no one was injured, this incident could have had a very different outcome.'
he'd left in snow. CCTV showed Scott Dowdall, 29, disqualified. He was jailed for four months.