Consultant surgeon caught doing 89mph in luxury Land Rover spared driving ban over claims it would be 'life threatening'

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

A consultant orthopedic surgeon caught speeding at 89mph in his luxury Land Rover has escaped a road ban after arguing disqualification could have ''life threatening'' consequences for his patients.

Professor Chris Peach, 47, was facing a minimum six month ban under the totting up procedure after his £73,000 Discovery R-Dynam was clocked exceeding the 70mph limit on a motorway.

But the married father of three successfully appealed to keep his licence under exceptional hardship rules by claiming that patients and colleagues would ''suffer'' if he was not able to drive to hospital during emergencies.

He admitted to the court that part of his work was dealing with the consequences of speeding drivers. The £220,000-a-year medic who provides emergency surgery at Manchester's Wythenshawe Hospital, as well as being a specialist in shoulder and elbow surgery for both NHS and private hospitals argued taxis were too ''unreliable'' to get him to work and claimed it was ''not viable'' to employ a chauffeur. Join our WhatsApp Top Stories and Breaking News group by clicking this link He added: ''I know that the hospital is already exceptionally stressed, and to go without a doctor in my general role is exceptionally difficult.