THE captain of Worcester Warriors rugby team had a motoring fine drastically cut after he disclosed to a judge that his basic salary was £130,000 a year.

Police checked Patrick Sanderson’s Jaguar and found that two tyres were below the legal tread limit.

The car, being driven on the A38 at Wychbold, had no Mot certificate either, said Jo Barker, prosecuting.

He was fined £1,235 for each tyre by Worcester magistrates last month and given no separate penalty for the other offence.

The high fine, complied with a new law which came into force in August, says that financial penalties should be based on a defendant’s weekly income.

But Sanderson’s barrister Simon Emslie argued that the huge fine was disproportionate to the seriousness of the crime.

And Judge Andrew Geddes agreed. He allowed the appeal and slashed the fine to a total of £1,111 at Worcester Crown Court.

Sanderson, aged 31, of Apperley, Gloucestershire, pleaded guilty to the driving offences after being tackled by police on February 6 this year.

Miss Barker said he was “something of a local celebrity” who didn’t wish to disclose his income in open court.

But the judge ruled that the former England player had to disclose it.

Mr Emslie said the guidelines for fines ranged from 75 to 125 per cent of weekly income.

He successfully argued that the judge should base the fine on 75 per cent of Sanderson’s £2,500 a week salary and reduce it further for a guilty plea.

Mr Emslie said an administrative delay in getting the case to court meant his client was unable to be dealt with under the old law, which prescribed a much smaller fine.

He said Sanderson was not aware of the tyre defects because he had not checked them.

When the offence was pointed out, he immediately contacted a tyre firm which changed them at the roadside.

The judge said he treated both tyres as one incident. He described the original fine as “unjust”.