TWO young house guests who went for a joy ride in their host's £180,000 Bentley Arnage were up in court on Tuesday after they crashed it, causing thousands of pounds worth of damage.

Fergus Baillie-Lowis, 21, from Chute Forest, near Ludgershall, and 23-year-old Andrew Couling, from Collingbourne Kingston, pleaded guilty before Kennet magistrates to taking the prestige car without the owner's permission while they were staying at his house on the night of December 18.

Becky Abbott, prosecuting, said that the two defendants were among a group of people socialising at the farm. The host was a friend of their families.

By the early hours of the morning, the two were the only ones left awake and Baillie-Lowis got the idea of taking the Bentley for a spin. He asked Couling if he wanted to go along for the ride and, despite some misgivings, Couling agreed.

But a short distance from the farm, the Bentley went out of control and crashed. Baillie-Lowis thought he had hit a patch of ice.

They then made their way back to the house where they woke their host and told him the bad news.

Nick Redhead, defending Baillie-Lowis, said his client was extremely shamefaced about the episode.

Since it happened, Baillie-Lowis had written a letter of apology to the car owner. To make matters worse he had been driving on a provisional licence and without insurance cover.

Trevor Line, representing Couling, said his client's statement that he didn't think taking the car was a good idea was "a massive understatement". Although he was only a passenger, Couling also stood to lose his driving licence, which would cost him his job as an agricultural engineer.

Baillie-Lowis, who is now working at a London pub, was banned from driving for 12 months, and fined £300 with £34 costs. There was no claim for compensation but the court was told that a civil claim was pending.

Couling was also banned for a year but was given a 12-month conditional discharge.