MOTORIST Gary Billing has lost his licence for nine months after admitting driving without insurance when he caused an accident.

Billing, 23, of Purlyn Acre, Marlborough, pleaded guilty before Kennet magistrates in Devizes last Thursday to careless driving, driving without insurance and without a full driving licence on June 30 this year.

The magistrates heard that Billing, at the wheel of his own car, took a turning off the A338 too fast, losing control, hitting a bank and spinning into a Range Rover that was approaching the junction.

Some £2,600 damage was done to the Range Rover, all but £175 of which was covered by the Motor Insurance Bureau, an organisation set up by the insurance industry to recompense drivers whose vehicles have been damaged by uninsured drivers. The Range Rover driver's insurance company paid £25 towards it.

Tim Hammick, defending, said: "My client apologises profusely for his crass behaviour. He was transporting people to a wedding anniversary and wasn't concentrating on his driving. He admits he got it completely wrong."

For driving without insurance, Billing was disqualified from driving for nine months, for careless driving he was fined £75 and his licence endorsed. and there was no separate financial penalty for driving otherwise than in accordance with his licence. He was ordered to pay £150 compensation to the driver of the Range Rover and £35 court costs.

In a separate case, motorist Martin Burke came to within one penalty point of having to retake his driving test.

Burke, 23, of Maple Avenue, Chepstow, admitted careless driving arising from an incident on July 10 when he took a 90 degree bend on the A338 near Burbage too fast in his Vauxhall Astra van and he slid sideways into a car coming in the other direction.

Lois Colley, prosecuting, said that, in interview, Burke had agreed with police officers that the collision might not have occurred if he had been going slower.

Passing sentence, presiding magistrate Katherine Dover told Burke he had come within one point of having to resit his driving test. Under recent regulations, drivers who have passed their test within the last two years have to retake their tests if they get six or more penalty points on their licences. Burke was also fined £80 and £35 court costs.