A BUSINESSMAN stuck in roadworks at Stourport made the mistake of answering a call on his mobile phone, a court heard.
Event organiser Noel Lewis was reported by a policeman and was fined £260 with £135 costs by Kidderminster magistrates for using the phone while driving.
Lewis, aged 35, of Yarrow Close, Worcester, argued on appeal to Worcester Crown Court that the penalty was excessive.
He claimed that he was waiting for the traffic to move, was on the phone for only a few seconds and been unable to pull to one side in narrow Gilgal.
The recession had hit his business, he said - he was self-employed and currently out-of-work.
Judge John Cavell said that the fine on Lewis, who had a clean driving licence after 17 years, was too high.
He reduced it to £150 but the costs and three-point endorsement remain.
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