A POLICE Community Support officer has asked a court not to ban him after being caught speeding for a fifth time.

PCSO Dave Johnson, who covers the Cliviger and Worsthorne area, already has nine points on his licence and could face a ban if three or more are added, which will mean he could lose his job.

Johnson, 58, of Chislehurst Grove, Burnley, yesterday appeared before magistrates in Burnley to plead exceptional hardship and try to keep his licence.

He was caught doing 37mph in a 30mph zone in Colne Road, Burnley, on September 30 last year.

That was the fifth time he had been caught speeding since 2008, and he has received three points on his licence on three occasions and done a speed awareness course on the other.

He said he had been taking his mother and daughter-in-law for lunch at the Prairie pub when the most recent incident had happened, and had withdrawn a “substantial” amount of money from a cash machine on the way.

On arriving at the Prairie he realised he had left the cash in the machine, and was in a rush to get back to see what had happened to the money.

Johnson said: “I am a PCSO covering a rural area of Burnley and any driving ban is going to impact severely in being able to carry on those duties.

“I visit rural farms and houses that are not served by bus routes and would therefore be difficult to get to.

“I have been made aware that there is the possibility I could lose my job.

“It is very important to me after nine years in the force and I don’t want to be in that position.”

The case was adjourned until May 17 for Johnson to obtain information from his bosses about the impact a driving ban could have on his job, and whether he could transfer to another patch where he did not need to drive.