THE driver of a fire engine was caught speeding while showing his new station officer around the area, a court was told.

Anthony Hey was driving a Dennis tender when he was caught by a speed camera travelling at 35mph in a 30mph zone in Eston, Middlesbrough, last March.

Hey admitted speeding when he appeared before Guisborough magistrates, but insisted that there was a problem with the speedometers of some fire engines.

The 41-year-old, who has been driving fire appliances for 13 years and had a clean driving licence, said that the speedometer needle often wavered on a number of engines, when the 15-tonne machines jerked at slow speeds or on uneven surfaces.

Hey, of Granwood Road, Eston, Middlesbrough, was driving a crew from Grangetown fire station at the time - together with a new station officer, who was being given a tour of the area.

PC Paul Young, an expert in Cleveland Police's speed detection devices, said he took the engine in question on a five-mile test and found that the electronically-sensored speedometer read correctly.

Magistrates fined Hey £60 with £43 costs and endorsed his licence with three penalty points.

Craig Beer, defending, said he hoped that the message would get back to senior fire chiefs so that any problems with the engines could be rectified.

A Cleveland Fire Brigade representative said that three points would not affect Mr Hay's job, and that none of their vehicles had been found to have defective speedometers.