A retired Airbus worker told a court that he had no excuse for driving along the A55 at 105 mph.

David Hiorns aged 54, said that it was just a moment of madness.

He was caught in the vicinity of the Caerwys turn-off in January by the “average speed” camera system.

Hiorns told Flintshire Magistrates’ Court at Mold that he appreciated that if something had gone wrong then at that speed it could have been catastrophic, not only for himself, but for others.

“For that I am very sorry. I cannot offer any explanation of excuse for why I did it,” he explained.

“I presume it was a moment of madness.”

At the time, in January, he was working double shifts at the Airbus base at Broughton and drove there from his home in Queen’s Avenue, Colwyn Bay.

He admitted breaking the 70 mph speed limit in his Saab 93 and said that he had since changed his vehicle and bought a smaller one.

Magistrates said that was a wise move.

They said that it was such an excessive speed that he would be banned from driving for 28 days.

He was fined £600 with £85 costs and a £60 surcharge.

Prosecutor Shaun Bartlett-Evans said that it was at 13.35 on January 30 that the average speed camera system caught the defendant’s Saab driving at 105 mph.

“I am sure you will agree with me that it is a very high speed, 35 mph over the maximum permitted speed limit,” he told the court.

He invited the bench to consider a disqualification in view of the high speed.

The defendant, who said his partner lived in Caernarfon and his family lived in Manchester, said that if he had the choice he would rather points on his licence than a driving ban.