A MOTORIST was fined for driving through a red light in Bury after manoeuvring to make space for emergency vehicles.

Steve Whittam was caught on camera driving through a red light at 16mph on Angouleme Way.

He made the manoeuvre after pulling to a stop to allow a police van that was using sirens and blue lights to pass him.

He said at a hearing before Bury magistrate on Monday that moving off through the red light after the police van had been the safest thing to do to avoid blocking the path of any further emergency vehicles.

He said: "I was in a dangerous position, stopped across two lanes of very congested traffic. For all I knew there could have been more emergency vehicles on their way. They would not have been able to get through."

He told magistrates during the trial that he admitted driving through the red light but had pleaded not guilty because he thought that was the only way to get an opportunity to explain the circumstances.

The incident happened at the junction with Knowsley Street at about 10.45am on February 13.

Magistrates said they had sympathy with Whittam but saw no special circumstances to excuse his offence. They fined the financial adviser, who lives in Chester, £120 plus £250 costs and put three penalty points on his driving licence.

Mr Whittam (46) told magistrates: "In think it's disgraceful. I did what I thought was the safest thing to help the police and other drivers."

"I could have just paid the fine and forgotten about it but I wanted to come to court to explain the circumstances as a matter of principle."