A father of four young children has been allowed to carry on driving after persuading magistrates that a ban would cause his family exceptional hardship.

John Taylor, 29, of Elizabeth Crescent, Holt, pleaded guilty to breaking a 30mph speed limit when he appeared at Cromer Magistrates' Court last Thursday.

The bench heard that Taylor had been driving at 42mph along Norwich Road, Holt, on January 8.

Under 'totting' rules Taylor risked a ban because the offence added an extra three points to his driving licence, giving him a total of 13. Motorists are liable to disqualification if they have 12 points.

But Taylor, who was not represented, told magistrates that a previous employer, in Hemsby, had been responsible for six of the points on his licence.

He claimed the man already had points on his own licence when he had been caught committing another motoring offence and feared he would be banned. So the man had told the authorities that Taylor had been driving the vehicle.

Taylor said a photo clearly showed that the driver at the time of the offence was his former employer but Taylor had been unable to afford the journey to the court in Kettering to prove it, and so had ended up with six points and a large fine.

The court heard that Taylor worked during the summer months cutting lawns and tidying gardens. He had rounds in Scratby, Hemsby, Ludham, Martham and Caister and earned about �90 a day to keep his wife and four children, aged three months to six years.

Magistrates ordered that three points be added to his licence but did not ban him from driving. He was also given fines totalling �75.

Chairman of the bench Colin Simpson told Taylor they had taken his circumstances into account in passing sentence, but warned him: 'If you are caught speeding again, the book will fly.'