THE Earl of Cardigan was unable to attend a court appeal into his motoring ban and £1,000 fine due to family illness. Cardigan, 50, who lives at Savernake Lodge in Savernake Forest, near Marlborough, was due to contest the sentence at Swindon Crown Court yesterday.

But at 9.30am his legal representatives faxed the court, informing them that neither they, nor Cardigan, would be attending due to the illness of Cardigan's step-father. In April North Wiltshire magistrates sitting in Chippenham banned Cardigan from driving for 28 days, although the ban was suspended pending his appeal. The magistrates heard that for the past 28 years he had been driving on a Jersey licence which, by rights, should be used by visitors to Britain for a maximum of one year. Cardigan was pulled up by police while driving on the M4 when officers noticed his exhaust pipe was loose. As a result Cardigan admitted driving without a valid licence, without insurance, without an MoT and without the car's registration document. The appeal will be heard on a date to be fixed.