A private hire car driver who rang his wife from behind the wheel to tell her he was coming home for dinner has been fined.

Zulfiqar Ali Shah was spotted by Hackney Carriage enforcement officers at 9.15pm on July 13 this year as he drove his Proton along Westbury Street, Bradford.

Bradford and Keighley Magistrates’ Court heard that Shah, who was not present in court, had pleaded guilty to using a mobile phone while driving. In a statement read out in court, Shah said: “About ten metres before stopping I called my wife to tell her I was coming home for dinner.” Shah admitted it was dangerous to use a phone while driving, but also said that the street was “quiet”, with no oncoming traffic.

Shah, 36, of Addison Avenue, Bradford, was fined £155 and told to pay £200 costs and a £20 victim surcharge. He also had three penalty points put on his driving licence.