Frozen canal driver in court

A MOTORIST has admitted driving for more than a mile along a frozen canal before crashing through the ice in what police described as an act of "utter madness".

Andrew Nisbet, 25, appeared at Livingston Sheriff Court yesterday and pleaded guilty to culpable and reckless criminal conduct.

Nisbet, of Springfield Road, South Queensferry, West Lothian admitted driving onto the Union Canal at the B9080 at Bridgend, West Lothian, on January 11 this year.

Police described the incident as "utter madness" at the time, while Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service called it "a very reckless act".

Sheriff Grahame Fleming QC said he wanted background reports on Nisbet before passing sentence because of the nature of the charge.