A SPEEDING driver crashed causing thousands of pounds of damage to three parked cars near his home in Kelty.

Alexander Lyon was not insured and had not even passed his driving test when he lost control of the vehicle.

There was no chance of Lyon being able to afford to pay compensation because he is unemployed, Dunfermline Sheriff Court heard.

Lyon was travelling so fast that he caused damage to three cars which were pushed into each other.

The full cost of the damage has still to be obtained but repairs to the cars would range between £1,000 and £8,000, depute fiscal Colin Wilson told the court.

Lyon, 32, of Loch Leven Terrace, Kelty, admitted that on October 26 last year at Keltyhill Road, Kelty, he drove a car carelessly at excessive speed.

He caused it to collide with parked vehicles, causing extensive damage to them. He also admitted he did not comply with the conditions of his provisional licence and he drove without insurance.

The depute fiscal told the court that residents in the street heard a loud bang at around 7.30pm and when they looked out of their windows, they saw three men running from the car.

One witness saw smoke coming from the car Lyon had been driving.

When police arrived, they found Lyon near the crash scene. He said: “It was me driving. I’m sorry.”

The explanation given by defence solicitor James Moncrieff was that his client had bought the car with the intention of passing his driving test in it.

He had not been displaying ‘L’ plates at the time of the collision.

Sheriff Alison McKay told Lyon: “You should not have been driving at all. This was all caused by your careless driving.

“It’s a matter of concern to the court that you’ve caused significant damage to three other vehicles and you’ve no way to pay for it. It’s people like you who put up the cost of car insurance.”

The sheriff fined Lyon £800 and banned him from driving for a year.