A nursery nurse has dropped her battle with police who prosecuted her for holding an apple while driving, after being told it could cost the taxpayer another £10,000.

Sarah McCaffery, 23, of Blackpool Parade, Hebburn, South Tyneside, said the interests of the taxpayer came first despite her having to accept a £60 fine and an order to pay £100 costs for negotiating a left-hand turn with an apple in her right hand.

Her solicitor described the case as nonsensical during the trial on Monday and criticised Northumbria Police and the Crown Prosecution Service for ordering aerial photographs, a video shot from the force aircraft and a video recording from a police car be produced for the hearing which lasted more than two-and-a-half hours.

But South Tyneside magistrates ruled against Miss McCaffery at the tenth court hearing into the case, which started at 8.20am on December 4, 2003, when she was pulled over by traffic officer PC Lee Butler, in Monkton Lane, Hebburn.

An appeal before the Crown Court has been estimated to cost £10,000.

Miss McCaffery said: "I couldn't bear the thought of more money being wasted on a case, which I don't think should have gone to court.''

She added: "What they did was way over the top and the whole thing was hanging over my head for more than a year. I'm really angry about that."

She said she had been moved by the public's support over her ordeal.

''It's been amazing and quite touching. They all seemed to be talking about it and how wrong it was. When I turned up at school some of the parents said, 'Good for you, girl' and, 'Well done'. I didn't really know some of them, but they felt so angry about what happened. I've had nothing but encouragement when I needed it."

Miss McCaffery said she had been driving for four years and had an unblemished record.

A Northumbria Police spokesman said: "As the defendant chose for the matter to go to a court trial rather than accept a fixed penalty notice, we were obliged to gather all appropriate evidence to present our case."