Ferdinand handed driving ban

Manchester United star Rio Ferdinand has rebuffed offers of a chauffeur after he was banned from driving. The 33-year-old defender was caught speeding in his luxury Jaguar car three times in five weeks on the same road in Manchester.



It led to a six-month ban under the points totting-up procedure despite an argument from his lawyer, Nick “Mr Loophole” Freeman, that he should only receive a shorter discretionary suspension.



Ferdinand was also fined £500 at Trafford Magistrates’ Court yesterday and ordered to pay court costs of £35. Reacting to the ban on his official Twitter account, Ferdinand wrote: “Didn’t know so many drivers followed me!! Thanks for the offers but I’m cool, I’m sorted on the drivers front. #speedkills”



The court heard Ferdinand — who was not in court — was caught driving at 38mph in a 30mph zone on the A56 Chester Road on February 9 after being flashed for speeding at the same spot twice the month before. He had another three points on his licence dating back to 2009.



Mr Freeman told magistrates his client was embarrassed at being caught repeatedly speeding but that he did not have the benefit of being pulled over by a police officer and was “a victim of the system”.



He said it was “the classic problem with cameras” in that Ferdinand was unaware he had already committed two driving offences. Mr Freeman failed to persuade magistrates to impose a short ban as he argued the England international wished to continue spending “quality time” with his two young sons as he took them to school, rather than employ a driver.