No charges for blood driver

Paul Stockbridge was driving 11 mph over the speed limit

A National Blood Service driver caught travelling at 41 mph in a 30 mph zone has had a speeding charge against him dropped.

Staffordshire's Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has decided to take no further action against Paul Stockbridge after he provided evidence he was making an emergency delivery to a hospital in Stafford at the time of the offence.

Mr Stockbridge, 37, from Great Barr, West Midlands, pleaded not guilty to the charge when he appeared at Stafford Magistrates' Court last month.

He had been clocked by a speed camera on the A449 in Stafford in the early hours of 3 March.

Emergency vehicles do not have a blanket exemption from speeding Harry Ireland Staffordshire CPS

Harry Ireland, chief crown prosecutor for Staffordshire, said: "There is no dispute of the fact that Mr Stockbridge exceeded the speed limit.

"However, he has now provided evidence to the CPS that on this particular occasion he was making an emergency delivery of blood and that he was authorised to use a blue light.

"Mr Stockbridge had previously failed to produce this evidence to the police.

"In view of this new information, I have decided that it is not in the public interest to proceed with a prosecution and the summons has been discontinued."

Mr Ireland added: "Emergency vehicles do not have a blanket exemption from speeding and each case is assessed on its merits in accordance with the law and the Code for Crown Prosecutors."

Mr Stockbridge had been travelling with his emergency blue light flashing en route from a blood depot in Birmingham to Staffordshire General Hospital when he was caught by the speed camera.