AN AUDI driver has been handed a fine after he was caught using a vehicle without insurance in Ludlow.

Ralph Beardmore entered a guilty plea to one count of using a motor vehicle in a public place without third party insurance when he appeared before magistrates in Hereford last month.

The court heard from the prosecutor that the 49-year-old had been caught out at Sainsbury’s car park in Ludlow after getting behind the wheel of an Audi without any third party insurance on July 12 last year.

Beardmore, of Rocks Green Crescent, Ludlow, was fined £230, with magistrates saying they had taken his guilty plea into account when imposing the penalty.

He was also ordered to pay prosecution costs of £110 and a £92 victim surcharge, which is used to help fund services supporting victims of crime.

He received six points on his driving licence.

In mitigation, the court heard that Beardmore experienced “exceptional hardship”. Magistrates heard that his family relied on him financially. If he lost his licence, he would lose his income and this would “cause them all financial hardship”.