A French biker who rode the wrong way on the Mountain Road has been fined £500.

Aymeric Pierre Antoine Guinoiseau performed a U-turn and started riding the wrong way just past The Bungalow on June 1.

The 36-year-old must pay the fine, plus £125 prosecution costs, immediately or face up to 40 days in prison.

Prosecuting advocate Harry Bellis told the court that the defendant was riding his Ducati on the A18 Mountain Road, at 5.40pm heading from Ramsey Hairpin towards Douglas.

He passed The Bungalow but then turned around, contravening the one-way system, and started riding back for around 100 metres.

Police stopped him, and bikes which were going the correct way, and Guinoiseau was subsequently arrested.

The weather was described as foggy but the signage was clear.

The welder, who lives at Rue Des Fontaines, Avranches, told police: ‘I understand, but I got scared when I couldn’t see my father and brother in my mirror.

‘I thought there’d been an accident.’

In court, assisted by a French interpreter, he admitted failing to conform to a traffic sign.

Defence advocate David Clegg said that his client had travelled around 100 metres the wrong way, at about 20mph, and had not met any other traffic, because police had stopped it when they saw what he was doing.

Mr Clegg said that Guinoiseau had never been to the UK or Isle of Man before and effectively spoke no English.

The advocate said that, at the police station, he had used LanguageLine, an online interpreting service, to communicate, and until his court appearance had thought he was only in court for making an illegal U-turn.

Deputy High Bailiff Rachael Braidwood said: ‘The signs are very clear. It’s your responsibility to make sure you’re riding in accordance with all the road signs and restrictions.’