A speeding marine surveyor claims fishing vessels could be left waiting to return to the water after a court banned him from the road.

Ian Paul Spice, of Blackbridge Crescent, Blackbridge, Milford Haven, represented himself when he appeared before Haverfordwest magistrates on Tuesday, June 26, after previously pleading guilty to a speeding offence.

Spice admitted exceeding the 70mph limit on a dual carriageway in Plymouth while driving a Vauxhall Astra on November 8.

Marine surveyor Spice, 46, told the court that he had been under a lot of work pressure at the time of the offence and had been working long hours covering a portfolio of 400 vessels.

He said: “To lose my licence would cause immense problems both professionally and personally.”

Spice added that he was the only surveyor covering a large area, and boats would have to stop fishing until their surveys could be completed.

“The whole experience has been like the sword of Damocles hanging over me. It has changed my whole attitude to driving, I’m utterly speed paranoid now.

“I’m no longer under the pressures at work that I was under. I’m doing everything I can to return my licence to clean.”

Spice was disqualified from driving for six months when magistrates added three penalty points to those already on his licence.

He told the court he was likely to lose his job as a result of the ban after he was fined £249 and ordered to pay a £30 surcharge.

The chairman of the bench said: “Well the consequences could have been worse if you had hit someone while speeding.”