A man caught ignoring his driving ban twice was lucky to avoid jail.

Keith Whitehead blamed a lack of cash on getting behind the wheel of his pickup truck to move scrap metal.

He was stopped by police in Sheepridge the day before his court appearance – also for driving while disqualified.

The 23-year-old appeared at Kirklees Magistrates’ Court from custody after missing a previous hearing.

Prosecutor Bill Astin explained that his vehicle was stopped by two traffic officers as he drove along Ruskin Grove.

Whitehead was spoken to and admitted to being a banned driver.

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Mr Astin told the court: “The following day, on April 12, he was in court for another offence of driving while disqualified.”

Whitehead was originally given the two-year ban at Bradford Crown Court in August 2014.

He was also jailed for nine months for the offence of dangerous driving.

Whitehead, of Armadale Avenue in Bradford, is not permitted to drive again until he takes an extended retest.

But he claimed that he was short of money and drove the pickup truck because he was scrapping.

Whitehead pleaded guilty to driving while disqualified and without insurance.

He was sentenced to a two-month suspended prison term and told to pay £85 costs and £115 victim surcharge.