A MIGRANT worker spent his first night in Britain behind bars after illegally driving a lorry.Miroslaw Kmita, 48, arrived in the UK from Poland on January 15 but was arrested that afternoon after police saw him driving a 10.

A MIGRANT worker spent his first night in Britain behind bars after illegally driving a lorry.

Miroslaw Kmita, 48, arrived in the UK from Poland on January 15 but was arrested that afternoon after police saw him driving a 10.5 tonne lorry on the A14 at Wherstead.

South East Suffolk Magistrates' Court heard Kmita had been pulled over and produced a Polish driving licence but it did not qualify him to drive heavy goods vehicles.

Stephen Colman, prosecuting, said Kmita had admitted the offences when interviewed by police and was kept in custody overnight because he did not have an address in the United Kingdom.

He appeared at before magistrates the following day and admitted driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence and driving with no insurance.

Mark Holt, mitigating for Kmita, said his client had travelled to the UK to seek work.

He said: “He hasn't been employed in Poland for 18 months and he has a wife and two young daughters.

“He was given the opportunity to drive this lorry for monies and he agreed to do that despite not having insurance.

“Previously in Poland he has driven buses so, while he was not legally able to drive the vehicle, he felt safe to do so.”

The court heard Kmita had arrived in the UK at Dover and had been brought to Suffolk to collect the German lorry and drive it back to Dover.

Magistrates fined him £250 for driving without insurance and endorsed his UK driving record with six points. They also fined him £50 for the licence offence.

However, magistrates agreed to waive the fine because Kmita had spent a night in custody.