A TRACTOR driver from Mark who caused a three-mile tailback of around 50 vehicles has been fined by the courts.

Farm worker Jake Fear, 20, of Southwick, Mark, who was driving a tractor loaded with beets, was pulled over by officers after they spotted the long queue building up behind him, Somerset Magistrates were told.

The court, sitting at Yeovil, was told that police found one tyre so badly worn that the internal cord and ply was exposed and could have led to a “sudden and catastrophic failure”.

Fear had not pulled over to allow the traffic to pass, so when the officers caught up with him and asked why he hadn’t stopped he said he couldn’t see the rest of the traffic which had built up behind a lorry, the court heard.

He admitted to driving a Class A Tractor on the A39 at Glastonbury without reasonable consideration for other road users on November 9 last year.

He also admitted using the vehicle when its condition, namely one nearside tyre, had practically no tread and gauges in the rear nearside tyre was such that its use involved danger of injury to any person.

Prosecutor Christine Hart said a police officer was on duty on the A39 at Glastonbury at 10.25am when he saw a long line of traffic being held up by a slow-moving tractor and trailer.

About 50 cars were travelling at no more than 25mph for three miles and there were at least three points including a layby where the tractor driver had failed to pull in to allow the traffic to pass.

“The trailer contained beet which was piled high and due to the manner of driving the officer stopped Fear and asked why he hadn’t pulled over,” she said.

“He replied he had only noticed the lorry behind him and he did not see the half a mile of traffic ad argued that there had not been any places to pull over.

“The officer’s attention was then drawn to the tyre and Fear said his boss had told him to drive the tractor and he said he had checked the lights but that was it. One tyre had a break in the fabric and the internal cords and ply were exposed and could have led to sudden and catastrophic failure.”

Defending solicitor Jamie Foster said on the day in question there was a load of beets that needed transporting and Fear’s boss didn’t have any more tractors so he borrowed one from somebody else.

“Fear was told to pick up the trailer and he checked the lights but didn’t notice the defective tyre in the dark and on his journey he stopped twice in laybys to allow traffic to pass,” he said.

“However he accepts that on a stretch of the A39 he could have stopped but he had a large lorry behind him and he was unable to see the full extent of the traffic behind it.

“He simply listened to his boss but now accepts it is his responsibility to check that all machinery he uses is alright.”

The magistrates fined Fear £190 for each of the two offences and endorsed his licence with three penalty points.

Costs of £85 and a £20 victim surcharge were also imposed.