AN under-age driver caught at the wheel of a car has been warned that he could be locked up if he drives again within a year.

York Youth Court heard that police on patrol spotted the 14-year-old boy driving in Tang Hall Lane, York, on February 23.

The schoolboy, from Tang Hall, pleaded guilty to driving without a licence, without insurance and without a test certificate.

"I just drove it round the corner," he told the Bench, adding that it was a friend's car.

When justices asked him how good he was at driving, he said: "I drive OK."

They gave him a referral order for four months, during which he must work with youth offending officers and his local community. They also imposed a 12-month driving ban and warned him that if he drives again while under the ban he could be sent to a juvenile detention centre.

His father told the court his son had been mixing with the wrong crowd and that he had probably been egged-on to break the law.

Updated: 10:57 Wednesday, June 11, 2003