Frenchman drove 57 years without licence

NANTES - A French court gave a plumber a three-month suspended jail sentence today for driving for 57 years without a licence.

The 78-year-old was pulled over in January after losing control of his vehicle and hitting a crash barrier. He was found to be over the blood alcohol limit.

"It was just bad luck," said his lawyer Jean-Michel Pollono.

The man, who had driven a 3.5 tonne truck during his 40-year career, had had a military driver's licence since 1949 but it had never been stamped by the local authorities.

The court confiscated his vehicle and banned him from taking a driving test for 10 months.

- REUTERS