A carer who faced a driving ban after rushing to keep appointments with clients has kept her licence.

Magistrates in Llandudno heard that not only would Patricia Jones be penalised but that people who looked forward to her visits would also lose out.

Jones, aged 61, of Gorlan, Conwy, pleaded guilty to doing 44mph in a 30mph  area at Llanrhos on January 8, and the court heard that she already had nine points on her licence after three speeding offences in 2016.

She told the court that those earlier convictions came as she was still getting to know the area after starting her job in 2015. If disqualified she would lose her job and be unable to pay her mortgage.

She submitted references from her employers and from a couple of clients.

Solicitor Don Roberts told the court: “She has built up a rapport with all the people she sees.”

 Chairman John Rooney said the Bench accepted that a ban would cause exceptional hardship to her and to her clients.

Jones, who said she would be lucky to find another job at her age, was fined £276 and ordered to pay costs of £85 and a £30 surcharge.