A TEENAGER who drove at almost twice the speed limit on a suburban street has kept his driving licence.

Joshua Adam King hit 56-mph driving a Vauxhall Corsa in a 30-mph zone the day before his 18th birthday, York magistrates heard.

In a witness statement, a police officer said there was “fairly busy” traffic as King made his high-speed journey along a stretch of York Road, Haxby, on November 18.

Magistrates heard he sped away from its roundabout with Eastfield Avenue.

King’s solicitor, Mark Thompson, said his client had no explanation for his speed and did not appreciate how fast he was going.

King, of The Gowans, Sutton-on-the-Forest, pleaded guilty to speeding and was given five penalty points, fined £150 and ordered to pay £54 costs with a £20 victim surcharge.

In mitigation, Mr Thompson said that because King had only passed his driving test in April, he was classed as a probationary driver until April 2014 and would have his licence reduced to a provisional one if he got six or more penalty points.

If he got five penalty points, he would have to go very carefully because a single point would put him over the limit.

The court was told if King was banned he could lose his job at a care home in Kirk Hammerton, near York, because he worked 12-hour shifts and there was no public transport at the times he needed it between his home and the care home.

King was also hoping to do a nursing degree, so his job was very important for him. Since he was clocked by a police speed camera, the court heard King had installed a monitor that recorded all his driving in a bid to make him a more responsible driver.