A CHARD man who managed to avoid a driving ban after getting 12 points on his licence earlier this year was told he couldn’t use the same excuse when he appeared in court again for a similar offence.

Louis Michael Gilbert already had 12 penalty points on his licence after successfully arguing that he would suffer exceptional hardship if he received a ban.

However, when he was caught doing eight miles over the speed limit on the A303 he ran out of excuses and was banned from the roads for the next six months.

The 27-year-old defendant, of Headstock Hill, South Chard, appeared in the dock before Somerset Magistrates, sitting at Yeovil.

He admitted a charge that on November 1 last year on the A303 near Sparkford, he exceeded the 60mph speed limit.

The court was told that Gilbert currently had 12 points on his licence after winning an exceptional hardship argument in March on the basis that he would lose his job which involved a lot of driving.

However he was told he could not put forward the same argument for the next three years and was therefore liable for disqualification.

The defendant said that he had applied to do a speed awareness course and had been told a letter would be sent out to him but he had never received it.

“If I get a disqualification I will lose my job as I drive for a living,” he said.

“On the day in question I was returning from London on the A303 and I have a family at home who I am trying to provide for.”

The magistrates told Gilbert that they had no option other than to endorse his licence with a further three penalty points bringing his total up to 15.

Due to the totting up regulations they banned him from driving for six months and fined him £40 with £45 costs and a £30 victim surcharge.