A WORCESTER man who took a firm's van home so it would not be vandalised has been banned from driving.

City magistrates heard how Max Allin took a Ford Transit pick-up - which belonged to the building company he worked for - home after finding he had been locked out of the firm's yard last May.

But he had failed to realise he was not insured to drive the vehicle out of working hours.

Susan Cliff, prosecuting yesterday, said the 24-year-old was not insured to use the van for private use and had given his brother a lift later that night.

Allin, of Highland Road, admitted driving without insurance, but Joe Kieran, defending, told magistrates his client had become the victim of 'the hard luck story of all time.'

He said Allin had ridden his bike to the company's city-based yard and had been told to drive to a site after picking up tools in the vehicle.

"My client had worked for the company for three months and had driven the vehicle every day during that period," he said.

"But when he returned at 5pm, the time workers go home, he found the front gates had been padlocked.

"My client decided to take the van home to safeguard the company's property as he thought it would be safer there."

But he added, when Allin's father returned home later that night he told him to return the van to the yard.

"As a coincidence, his brother was going to visit friends so my client gave him a lift while driving back to the yard," said Mr Kieran

"But his father got held up on a business call and then couldn't find the yard to bring him home.

"So, my client drove back into the city centre where he was arrested for driving without a licence, which officers later realised was a mistake. This is very far removed from the norm of people using a vehicle without insurance and an exceptional view of these unusual circumstances."

Allin was fined £75 and had his licence endorsed with six points, which meant he was banned for six months under the totting up procedure. He was also ordered to pay £200 towards court costs.