A man who was driving his car while holding a cable attached through its bonnet has been fined £1,080.

Pavel Dimitrov Naydenov told police he was operating the accelerator using the cable as it was not working properly.

The 52-year-old sent a postal admission to careless driving and having a vehicle in a dangerous condition.

Magistrates also endorsed his licence with six penalty points.

Prosecuting advocate Barry Swain told the court that police saw Naydenov driving his Renault Scenic on Main Road in Union Mills on December 17 at 9.35pm.

He was said to be braking erratically and had one arm out of his car window.

On closer inspection, officers could see that he was pulling on a cable which was attached to the bonnet of the car.

They pulled him over and he said he had been operating the car’s accelerator by hand as it had not been working.

The vehicle was said to have a long list of defects and was subsequently seized.

Naydenov, who lives at Bemahague Avenue in Onchan, did not attend court but sent in written mitigation saying that he had been visiting a friend on the night in question and had stayed longer than expected.

He said he had then received a call from his wife telling him to come home to look after their children, as she had to go to work.

Naydenov said he had then found the accelerator was not working but he had to get home so he had used the cable.

Magistrates fined him £650 for careless driving and £430 for having a vehicle in a dangerous condition.

He was also ordered to pay £50 prosecution costs and was given two months to pay all amounts.