A SPEEDING motorist has been jailed for 16 weeks after he was filmed by a police camera near a notorious black spot for accidents.

Craig Stephen Hill, 29, cannot drive again legally until autumn 2022.

York magistrates heard he had been disqualified from driving for 40 months for drink driving in April 2019.

But on July 23, he was at the wheel of a Ford Focus that a police camera clocked doing 84 mph, Melanie Ibbotson, prosecuting, said.

He was driving on the A64 dual carriageway at Whitwell-on-the-Hill where the speed limit is 70mph.

Duty solicitor Kevin Blount, said Hill's girlfriend had initially been driving but had panicked when smoke started coming from the radiator.

According to Hill "She pulled onto the hard shoulder," the solicitor said. "He agreed to drive it off the dual carriageway and get off where they could have a proper look at it.

"He was driving the distance to the next junction."

Hill denied driving all the way from his home near Halifax.

The 29-year-old, of Turnpike Street, Elland, pleaded guilty to driving whilst disqualified, speeding and driving without insurance.

He has previous convictions for driving whilst disqualified and driving without insurance and three previous convictions for drink driving.

Magistrates jailed him for 16 weeks, added a 14-month ban to the ban he was already serving, and ordered him to pay a #122 statutory surcharge and #85 prosecution costs.

Mr Blount said Hill had served a prison sentence since the speeding offence for non-motoring matters.

He accepted he had behaved foolishly on July 23.

He was currently unemployed but was looking for work.

Hill was clocked by one of North Yorkshire Police's mobile camera units, which move around the county.

Magistrates said they had looked at every non-custodial option but decided they had to jail him.