Man caught driving with another car on his roof admits ‘it was a stupid thing to do’

He insists there was no danger of it falling off as he drove through industrial estate

A man who was caught driving a car with another car balanced on top has been given three penalty points on his licence.

Glyndwr Wyn Richards, 51, was caught on camera driving a Volkswagen Passat with a Skoda Octavia strapped to its roof through an industrial estate in Aberystwyth, Wales, in March.

Richards, of Llanfarian, Wales, insisted there was no danger of the car falling off the roof as he had taken measures to ensure safety, and that he travelled less than 300 metres.

But as he pleaded guilty to using a vehicle with a load likely to cause danger of injury at Aberystwyth Magistrates’ Court, he admitted it was a “stupid thing to do” and out of character for him.

Prosecutor Ceri Ellis-Jones said Police Constable Phil Westbury had been sent a WhatsApp message showing footage of the car being driven by Richards with another car on top.

Ms Ellis-Jones said police had sought information from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) about regulations on vehicle loads and how items should be secured safely.

A DVSA inspector, who watched the footage, said that even with a strap in place, the load was not secure as the top car wasn’t secured in all directions.

The inspector recognised there was a van following the car in an attempt to provide protection for other cars, but said that was inadequate as there were still cars driving in other directions.

Richards, who represented himself in court, said: “It was a stupid thing to do obviously.”

But he added that the top car had been strapped down and that the stability had been tested by lifting the cars with a forklift truck.

Richards also said he had only driven around 300 yards at 5mph and that he had pulled in and stopped when he saw any other car on the road.

Glyndwr Wyn Richards was given a fine and three penalty points after he was caught driving a car with another car on its roof in Aberystwyth, Wales, 26 March 2019. (Crown Prosecution Service)

He insisted that “there was no way it was going to fall off”, but said that he accepted he should have moved the car in a different way.

While magistrates could have banned Richards from driving, they said that his lack of any previous convictions meant they felt a disqualification would be excessive.

Instead, he was given three penalty points on his driving licence.

He was also fined £80 and ordered to pay costs of £115.

SWNS contributed to this report.