A VICAR banned from driving after suffering a diabetic attack at the wheel last night said the law penalises motorists suffering from the condition.

The Reverend Trevor Pitt, from Hamsterley, near Bishop Auckland, admitted driving dangerously when he appeared at court in Cumbria on Monday.

The 66-year-old, who is a canon at Newcastle Catherdral, told the court that while suffering from the attack as he drove along the A591 at Grasmere, in the Lake District, in December last year, he tried to find somewhere to stop and get glucose from the glove compartment of his car.

He said that because it was a dark December night he could not find anywhere to pull over and, as his mind became more confused, he hit a wall. District judge Gerald Chalk banned him from driving for a year, but said that because of the peculiar circumstances, he would not punish him further.

Speaking last night, Mr Pitt, who has been driving for almost 50 years without incident, said: “I feel very cross about the whole injustice of it because I am being penalised for being a diabetic.

“The law treats diabetics as drug addicts because they rely on insulin, which is harsh treatment and unfair.”

Mr Pitt said he would have considered taking the case to crown court to have the law tested, but did not have enough money to pay the large legal costs.

He said: “I had an accident, I was the victim, and my car was badly damaged.

“The DVLA has guidelines for diabetics driving and they say that if you feel an attack coming to stop at the soonest and safest opportunity.

“My fatal error was that I did not consider the road I was on to be a safe place to stop. It was very narrow and dark and there was traffic behind me.”

Mr Pitt said he was speaking to Diabetes UK about the matter. Diabetic drivers have their licences reviewed every three years. Mr Pitt’s last review was 2009. He said he was now on a new regime of medicine and was confident he would be safe to drive.