malvernmugadzikwa
A PENSIONER’S luck finally ran out when his car was stopped and it was discovered he had been driving without a licence for 50 years.
Officers from the Derbyshire Roads Policing Unit pulled the car over for several offences in Derby on May 6.
They then discovered the 69-year-old driver had never passed his test or possessed a driving licence, meaning he had been driving illegally for five decades.
He had been tricking car insurance companies into thinking he had a licence the entire time — and had apparently been bragging about his long-running scam, which led to his downfall.
A statement from the unit shared on Twitter reads: “The driver of this vehicle has never passed a test despite being 69 years old and having been driving for over 50 years.
“He has systematically provided details to insurance companies indicating that he had a licence but the flaw in his dastardly plan was bragging.
“His long reign came to an abrupt end once we found out. Vehicle seized and driver reported for numerous offences.”
Paul Farley, of the Motor Insurers’ Bureau, commented: “Finally, brought a totally unacceptable reign to an end.
“The bit he was missing was had he been involved in a collision and we paid out on a claim, we would’ve come back to him for the total cost of that claim.”
The statement has drawn mixed reactions, with some questioning how the driver managed to get away with it for 50 years.
Steve said: “It is not a good look for the system, he has managed to carry out his entire life without being caught before, even in today’s ANPR (automatic number-plate recognition) world he has evaded the system for years. Sadly, this one may encourage other chancers as odds of being caught are low.”
In contrast, Joe said: “Probably a far better driver than many road users, he has avoided the police for 50 years . . . the United Kingdom would benefit from having more drivers like this on the road!”
Water reservoir drained to recover dropped phone
A government official in one of the world’s most water-stressed countries has been suspended after ordering a reservoir to be drained — to look for his dropped phone.
Food inspector Rajesh Vishwas, a government official in India, dropped his Samsung smartphone in the Kherkatta dam in the central state of Chhattisgarh.
He had gone to the reservoir for a picnic with friends and was taking a selfie when he dropped it, the Indian Express reports.
At first, he asked divers to search for the device, claiming it contained sensitive government data.
When this did not work, he asked for the reservoir to be drained using diesel pumps. In three days, more than two million litres of water were drained from the reservoir.
That is enough to irrigate at least 1 500 acres during India’s extremely hot summer.
Recent extreme temperatures in the country have led to severe water scarcity, crop losses, forest fires and power cuts.
Vishwas told reporters the water was not suitable for irrigation and he had received permission from a senior official to drain the dam.
He was suspended after he was widely criticised for wasting huge amounts of water.
To add insult to injury, after the phone was found, the waterlogged device would not work. — Wires
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter