A SINGLE mother was fined £100 for driving without a licence or insurance and failing to stop at the scene of an accident.

Bolton Magistrates' Court heard how Tara Whittaker, aged 21, of Battenberg Road, Bolton, had been driving towards Bolton town centre at about 10pm on June, 21, 2006, when she lost control of her car and crashed into a parked vehicle on Chorley Old Road.

Witnesses said a female driver, later identified as Whittaker, got out of the car and walked off-supposedly to retrieve her insurance details.

Her male passenger got into the driver's seat and drove the vehicle away.

Unemployed Whittaker, a mother-of-one, was later arrested by police. Whittaker pleaded guilty to driving without a licence or insurance, failing to stop after an accident and failing to report an accident.

She was disqualified from driving for six months, fined £100 and ordered to pay £25 in costs.

Whittaker, when asked by magistrates, explained why she had driven without a licence or insurance. She said: "I just thought I would have a go. Everybody else seems to be doing it. I am really sorry."

Chairman of the Bench, Mike Cresswell, said: "These are serious offences but we have taken into account the guilty plea you made at the first opportunity. and your financial situation."