Richard Ashcroft banned from driving for six months after speeding

Britpop star fined nearly £3000 after being caught speeding on the M4 in West London

Richard Ashcroft, the musician who rose to fame fronting The Verve, has been disqualified from driving for six months and ordered to pay nearly £3,000 after being caught speeding.

Lavender Hill Magistrates’ Court heard on Wednesday that Ashcroft, 54, was driving a green 2018 Mercedes-Benz G-Class on February 19 last year when he was recorded travelling 8mph over the 40mph limit on the elevated section of the M4 in Brentford, west London.

The court was told that Ashcroft, whose address was listed in Richmond-upon-Thames, already had nine relevant points on his licence from three previous speeding offences between December 16 2022 and October 21 2024. He did not attend the hearing but pleaded guilty to the single count of speeding.

His defence, Conall Bailie, conveyed Ashcroft’s apologies for his absence, citing an unchangeable existing commitment.

District Judge Daniel Benjamin, in sentencing, stated that Ashcroft had placed other road users at "risk of harm" due to his excessive speed. The judge added that Ashcroft had committed the latest offence "without any intention of abiding by the speed limit".

Ashcroft received an additional three points on his licence, leading to the six-month driving ban. He was also ordered to pay a total of £2,755, which includes the fine, statutory surcharge, and prosecution costs. Mr Bailie confirmed that Ashcroft had the financial means to pay the full amount.

Ashcroft did not attend court due to an unchangeable existing commitment (Wolfie Kutner)

The ‘Sonnet’ singer was recently a support act on the UK and Ireland legs of Oasis’s 2025 reunion tour. Ashcroft is a longtime friend of both Liam Gallagher and his older brother, Noel, who supported his band ( known simply then as Verve) back in 1993.

Noel wrote the track “Cast No Shadow” from Oasis’s second album (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?, as a tribute to the Lancashire-born singer.

Since The Verve’s break-up in 2009, Ashcroft has enjoyed a successful solo career, releasing six top 10 albums including 2016’s These People.

In 2021, he shared his sixth solo record Acoustic Hymns Vol 1, a collection of new versions of songs spanning both his solo career and his time in The Verve; Liam joined Ashcroft for a duet of “C’mon People (We’re Making It Now)” from his debut solo album, Alone With Everybody.