£1 fine for driver's faulty windscreen washer

A 66-year-old motorist was fined £1 yesterday after police prosecuted him for failing to maintain his windscreen wipers. Danny Lee was fined another £1 by Wolverhampton magistrates for failing to maintain windscreen washers on his lorry.

A 66-year-old motorist was fined £1 yesterday after police prosecuted him for failing to maintain his windscreen wipers. Danny Lee was fined another £1 by Wolverhampton magistrates for failing to maintain windscreen washers on his lorry.

Magistrates chairman David Smith said it was "unfortunate" Mr Lee, of Showell Road Caravan Site, Low Hill, Wolverhampton was brought to the court, following an incident in March when his vehicle collided with a car at traffic lights.

Mr Barry Riley, defending, said Mr Lee had not realised the wipers and washers were not in full working order until the day of the accident, when the weather had been dry. The crash occurred when the other driver overtook Mr Lee on the inside lane. Once police had checked the vehicle, Mr Lee had the repairs done by buying a 25p fuse for the windscreen wipers and putting water in the washers' fluid container.

West Midlands Police defended the decision to prosecute, saying in a statement: "This defendant originally also faced a more serious charge which was dropped. Had he only faced the two minor offences of defective washers and wipers, he would almost certainly never have been brought to court and instead would have been issued with a Vehicle Rectification Notice requiring him to have the defects fixed."

A more serious allegation of using a vehicle which caused or was likely to cause danger by reason of being defective, was dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service in court.

A spokeswoman for the Crown Prosecution Service in Wolverhampton said it did not comment on individual cases.

According to the last available figures from the Lord Chancellor's Office, in 1997 to 1998, the total cost of bringing "substantive court proceedings" before magistrates was £550 for one case for one day.