A BOROUGH councillor says he felt ashamed after appearing before a court for speeding.

Cllr Kenneth Pugh, a Conservative member of Swale council, admitted breaking the temporary 50mph speed restriction on the M2 at Hartlip, near Gillingham, in August when he appeared at Sittingbourne Magistrates' Court.

Cllr Pugh, 63, of Lynmouth Drive, Minster, near Sheerness, was fined £160, disqualified from driving for 28 days and ordered to pay costs of £35.

Speaking after the hearing Cllr Pugh, who represents the Minster Cliffs Ward, said: “I was travelling at the normal speed for a motorway and there were no signs that I saw.

“That was my mitigation, but I pleaded guilty to save embarrassment and costs and time and trouble.

“I was in a row of traffic with high-sided vehicles and I was travelling the same speed as everyone else. There were no road works and the hard shoulder was in operation.”

He said he was in talks with council colleagues about his role on the Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership and would be reliant on friends and family to help him continue his voluntary work for the next month.

Cllr Pugh, who had previously had a clean driving record, added: “I do uphold speeding laws. I just feel ashamed about this.”