A JOBLESS Ipswich woman has had her court debt slashed from £1,286 to just £260. Nichola Baines appeared before the South East Suffolk Magistrates' Court where she admitted SEVEN counts of driving without insurance, MoT or a licence.

A JOBLESS Ipswich woman has had her court debt slashed from £1,286 to just £260.

Nichola Baines appeared before the South East Suffolk Magistrates' Court where she admitted SEVEN counts of driving without insurance, MoT or a licence.

The court heard she was caught driving without insurance three times in Ipswich on one day alone – in Bramford Lane, Chevalier Street and Clarkson Street.

The massive level of outstanding fines was revealed during the hearing.

Magistrates were told more than £1,000 related to car tax fines – cases which had been heard in her absence.

Ian Duckworth, mitigating, said Baines had been staying with her mother in London but has now moved to live with her grandfather in Sandringham Close, Ipswich.

After hearing 23-year-old is making a claim for benefits which she was not doing before, bench chairman John Woolley told her: "We are going to give you a chance so respect that."

Magistrates heard Baines had been in custody for two days since her arrest.

She was given a day's imprisonment for the motoring offences.

But she was released two and a half hours later as she spent the morning behind bars.

The car tax fines were taken off and she was instead ordered to pay £260 at the rate of £10 a fortnight.

She was also given an 18 month driving ban.