A TEENAGER caught driving with passengers hanging out of his car at a summertime gathering on Great Yarmouth’s Marine Parade has had his licence taken away.

The 17-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was spotted by police in his vehicle at a July meet-up most commonly associated with the notorious Jetty Boys.

Police described how they saw him driving with one person hanging out the front window and another with their head and chest out of the sun roof, wth the car keeping pace with another adjacent vehicle.

At Great Yarmouth Magistrates today, an unnamed officer explained what they had seen.

In a written report, the officer said: “I couldn’t believe what I was witnessing. Both vehicles were in movement and the passengers were being put at significant risk.”

The defendant, who pleaded guilty, was ordered to pay a total of �65. He was also given three points on his licence, which combined with previous points given for speeding mean that as a new driver he will have to pass his driving test again.

At the hearing yesterday, Anne-Marie Sheridan, defending, said: “He is a young man and it was the summer and he was showing off. I don’t think he understood at the time how dangerous it could be for his passengers.

“It only takes for someone to walk out in front of him and for him to brake for the person standing up from the sun roof to be ejected from the car.”

The court heard how the teenager had recently bought the vehicle for �20 after his previous one was involved in a collision.

The defendant also described how the loss of his licence might threaten his new job, which required a car, as well as his efforts to set up a business and pay his way for a new car funded by his father.

He said: “I’m now in a bad financial state as I have to pay for my education and pay my dad off. I realise what I did was stupid and it’s mucked up everything.”

After the hearing, PC David Carter, from Acle Road Policing, said: “The CCTV clearly shows passengers being carried in an irresponsible manner and this type of behaviour will not be tolerated. It is not only dangerous to those travelling in the vehicle but to other road users as well and anyone seen using a vehicle in such a way can expect firm action from police and the courts.”