THE managing director of a security camera company has been banned from driving for four months.

Andrew Westgarth, 37, of Swinburne Road, Darlington, admitted breaking the 30mph speed limit in the town's Victoria Road in January.

Westgarth already had nine points on his driving licence and appeared before magistrates in Darlington yesterday to ask them not to ban him for the statutory six months under the totting up procedure.

He told the court he was managing director of a closed-circuit television company in Newton Aycliffe and his main responsibility was to travel about 30,000 miles a year to build business and make site visits.

He said: "If no new business is brought into the company it will fold - not immediately but it will eventually.

"I am also the father of three children under five years old and, along with my wife, I am responsible for picking them up from nursery and play group."

He told the court his previous three speeding offences, which resulted in the nine points on his licence, were committed within four months of each other two years ago, when police carried out a covert operation to catch speeding drivers.

The magistrates agreed to lessen the ban and disqualified him for four months. They also fined him £270 for his latest speeding offence.