A DRIVER who left his posh Mercedes teetering on the edge of a canal bridge put lives at risk, police have said.

But despite causing damage worth an estimated £95,000, he was fined £700 by magistrates, given eight points on his licence and ordered to pay £115 in court costs and surcharge.

Andrew Wellard was behind the wheel of his blue Mercedes C250 when he crashed into the railings of the Prison Bridge in Devizes last November.

The car was left balancing on the edge, with half of the car hanging over the canal below. The 32-year-old fled the scene, with the accident reported to the police by another driver. He later handed himself in to police headquarters.

Wellard, of Seabrook Road, Kent, pleaded guilty at Salisbury Magistrates' Court to driving without due care and attention, failing to stop after a road traffic collision and leaving a vehicle in a dangerous position.

PC Tom Crabtree said: "He put his own life and the lives of other road and canal users at risk and I am pleased that we have been able to put him before the courts for his actions.”