A FORMER Mayor of Hereford has lost her appeal at Worcester Crown Court against a six-month driving ban imposed after a road accident.

Catherine Gundy, aged 78, of St Guthlac Street, Hereford, must take a test before she can get behind the wheel again, Judge David McEvoy QC decided after sitting with magistrates.

He rejected a plea by her barrister, Dele Alakija, that it would be difficult for her to take a test. She needed a car to attend meetings and go shopping.

He added that she had been a councillor for many years and was still on the board of many charities. She also set up Victim Support in Hereford and was its president.

She was fined £50 and disqualified by Hereford magistrates last month after admitting failing to stop after an accident, said David Seconde, prosecuting.

Her car was seen to go so close to two cars in College Road, Hereford, last July that it ripped the wing mirror off one and the trim off another.

She did not stop and her number was taken by a passer-by. She told police she did not realise there had been an accident.

Mr Alakija submitted that the penalty was excessive but Judge McEvoy said that, while he had sympathy, the public interest had to be borne in mind.