A JUDGE has threatened to jail a man who had not done ''a stroke of work'' on a community punishment order.

Carl Sweeney, 27, of Alma Gardens, Ripon, received the 100-hour order from Harrogate magistrates last November for riding a 22cc Go-ped while disqualified.

He was back in the same court yesterday for breaching the order.

He came before District Judge Roy Anderson who told him his failure to do any work was a blatant breach.

Sweeney's solicitor, David Camidge, said he had been busy in the run-up to Christmas, having secured a four-week job with a turkey and chicken company. And then he had had health problems including headaches and eye trouble.

Judge Anderson told Sweeney he was pushing his luck, adding: ''If I sent you to prison now, I don't think you would have the ghost of a chance on appeal because, ultimately, prison is the remedy if you fail to comply with court orders.''

He said he was ''just about prepared'' to hold back from an immediate jail sentence for 28 days.

He bailed Sweeney to appear before him again on March 23 and called for a report to be prepared then to show how much of the unpaid community work Sweeney had done.