A MOTORIST has been handed a lengthy driving ban after he was caught behind the wheel while disqualified.

Steven Grigg was seen driving a van near Macmerry and, during a police stop, it was discovered that he was serving a previously imposed driving ban.

Officers also discovered that, due to the ban, Grigg, of Trevelyan Crescent, Pencaitland, had no valid insurance for the vehicle during the incident on November 9 last year.

The 57-year-old pleaded guilty to both offences when he appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court in March and he returned for sentencing last Tuesday.

Sheriff Douglas Keir banned Grigg from driving for a total of three years and also imposed a restriction of liberty order on him.

Grigg will be forced to wear an electronic tagging device and will have to stay within his home between the hours of 7pm and 7am each night for six months.

Grigg pleaded guilty to driving a van while disqualified and having no insurance for the vehicle on the A6094 near Macmerry on November 9, 2023.