A 33-year-old woman has been fined £950 for careless driving and having no vehicle licence.

Charlotte Vessy was seen driving erratically by an off-duty police officer on October 5.

Checks found that she only holds a licence to drive an automatic vehicle but was driving one with gears.

She also had her licence endorsed with 10 penalty points when she appeared in court.

Prosecuting advocate Victoria Kinrade told the court that Vessy was seen by an off-duty officer driving at Barregarrow, at around 1.25pm on October 5.

He was driving behind Vessy’s vehicle and described her driving as ‘abysmal’.

He said that she was driving erratically, straying into the lane of oncoming vehicles, was braking for no reason, and at one point hit a kerb.

The officer contacted the emergency services joint control room to report the matter, but followed Vessy until she arrived at Athol Garage in Peel.

She was spoken to and checks found that she only held a UK licence, to drive an automatic car, despite not being in an automatic vehicle.

Vessy, who lives at Douglas Street in Peel, opted to represent herself in court, declining the use of a duty advocate.

She said she had just moved to the island and wasn’t aware of the ‘bendy roads’.

She said she did not remember hitting the kerb.

Deputy High Bailiff Rachael Braidwood asked her why she had been driving a car with gears and Vessy replied: ‘I just got the car.

My partner can drive geared cars. I don’t know. I’ve now got an automatic car.’

After pleading guilty to the offences, Vessy was fined £800 for careless driving and £150 for the licence offence.

The Deputy High Bailiff told her: ‘It’s clear from your driving that day, you’re not qualified to drive a geared vehicle.

‘It’s clear that you were driving in a manner that was well below the standard of a careful driver, and you were driving for an extended time.’

She must also pay £50 prosecution costs and will pay all amounts at a rate of £50 per month.