A driver who ignored a Covid clampdown and took his car for a 200 mile "test run" after it was repaired has been fined for breaking Covid regulations.
Motorist Pandy Balla pleaded guilty at Suffolk Magistrates Court today to breaching Covid-19 rules in February last year when he ended up 90 miles from his Corby home.
The father-of-two was charged with being outside his Tier 4 lock-down area without reasonable excuse.
Officers on patrol on the A14 dual-carriageway in Suffolk stopped the 51-year-old after a computer check revealed that the car was registered at an address in Northamptonshire.
Balla claimed he had his car serviced that morning and that the garage had advised him to take it for a run to warm it up and ensure there were no further problems.
When he was stopped, he had driven approximately 90 miles, and prosecutor Waseem Raja said police decided there was no real reason for him to be in Suffolk for "a test drive".
Balla told the court yesterday that he had been unaware of any restrictions, "hadn't been sent a letter about the rules" and never watched TV news.
He added that he had a number of health issues, telling the court: "Physically and mentally I'm not very well."
Magistrates told him the regulations were well-publicised and the strict liability nature of the offence meant that being unaware of the law was no defence.
Balla was fined £200 for the offence of being outside of the place he was living without reasonable excuse during Covid restrictions and told to pay a £34 victim surcharge as well.
