A MULTI-tasking nurse was spared her licence after magistrates heard how she would need her car to do her job.

"Totter" Wendy Basnett, 55, of Congleton Road, Marton, who did not respond to a speeding ticket, admitted failing to supply police with information when she appeared before the town's magistrates court.

Instead she was fined £300, given three additional points on her licence, and ordered to pay £50 court costs.

Basnett, who now has 12 points on her licence and faced a ban, pleaded exceptional hardship and magistrates agreed.

Chairman of the bench, Brian Titford, told her: "Without the facility of your car you will be unable to fulfil contractual obligations." He added that losing her job would threaten her ability to keep her home.

Jonathan McGahan, prosecuting, told the bench Basnett already had nine points on her licence and was clocked driving towards Macclesfield town centre in her Fiat doing 40mph in a 30mph zone.

He said she was sent a fixed penalty notice and a reminder but did not respond to either.

Basnett, who was unrepresented, said: "I was under a lot of stress with a barn conversion and mistook the letter for one of my daughter's papers. It was a mistake."

She said she worked as a nurse practioner at Macclesfield Hospital, Leek Moorlands Hospital and the Regency carrying out various scans working from 8.30am until 6pm.

The bench also heard she had to work evenings, was on call at weekends and it would be impossible for her to continue working using public transport.

She said on the night in question she had picked up her daughter and two friends from Manchester Airport and was dropping them off in Tytherington.

She said: "There were delays at the airport and the car alarm went off due to an electrical fault and caused me stress. When I came to Tytherington I mistakenly thought it was 40mph not 30mph. It would cause me and my family exceptional hardship if I was going to be disqualified," she added.