AN NHS special advisor was clocked at more than twice the speed limit on a short stretch of road between two roundabouts, magistrates heard yesterday.

The court heard how Charles Hugh-Jones's Audi reached 64mph covering the few hundred yards in Harrogate's Leeds Road, where a police patrol was positioned.

In spite of a plea from defence solicitor Damien Kelly that a ban would critically affect Hugh-Jones's ability to do work which impacted on the lives of 380,000 people, court chairman Charles Bailey disqualified him for four weeks.

Hugh-Jones, 30, of Leeds Road, Harrogate, who pleaded guilty to speeding, was also fined £400 with £45 costs.

Mr Kelly said he worked in NHS commissioning, a job that required him to drive 25,000 miles a year.

In the past two months he had averaged 60 hours a week, often working out of hours.