A GARDENER-BUILDER has persuaded magistrates not to take his licence under the totting-up procedure after he was caught driving an overloaded van.

Self-employed Selby man James Steven Flinton, 36, put others in danger of injury by his action in July last year, Harrogate Magistrates Court heard.

He was at the wheel of a Ford Transit van at a roundabout on the A645 at Eggborough when its contents were so heavy they exceeded the maximum weight permitted for the vehicle.

Flinton, of Woodville Terrace, Selby, pleaded guilty to using a vehicle in a condition likely to cause danger of injury.

Because of the points on his licence, he was liable to be disqualified for at least six months, the court heard.

He told magistrates he ran a gardening and building business and that if he lost his licence, it would cause problems for his firm and could lead to one employee being made redundant.

He would also have problems in his personal life.

Magistrates decided he would suffer “exceptional hardship” and let him keep his licence. They gave him three penalty points.

They also fined him £166 and ordered him to pay £90 prosecution costs and a £66 statutory surcharge.