A CRAVEN district councillor who knocked a 72-year-old woman off her bike panicked and drove away from the accident scene, Skipton magistrates heard on Friday.

Richard Charles Welch, 50, of Raines Road, Giggleswick, clipped the pensioner's pedal cycle on the A65 at Gargrave when he was returning home from a planning meeting.

Ruth Owers was treated in hospital for head, neck and leg injuries, prosecutor Caroline Midgley told the court.

She said the accident happened near The Anchor Inn at 4.20pm on December 15.

Mrs Midgley said that Welch did stop but he saw another motorist helping Mrs Owers and he drove off. When he arrived in Settle, he called at the police station and told officers what had happened.

Welch pleaded guilty to failing to stop after an accident and driving without due care and attention.

His solicitor John Mewies said that Welch could not explain how he came to knock Mrs Owers off her bike. He may have been blinded by oncoming headlights.

"Mercifully, she was not badly hurt. Her injuries are not life-threatening," he said.

Mr Mewies added: "He stopped and saw another motorist helping the cyclist. He simply panicked and drove off."

The court heard that Welch was driving home from "a fairly lengthy planning meeting" when the accident happened.

"He does a great deal of unpaid voluntary work for the people of North Craven," Mr Mewies told magistrates.

He added that Welch, who is married with two grown up children, already had three penalty points on his licence for speeding.

Welch was fined £200 for failing to stop and his licence was endorsed with seven penalty points. He was fined £100 for driving without due care and his licence was endorsed. He was also ordered to pay £50 court costs.