A DRIVER banned for five years after a death crash has got his licence back early after telling a court he needs it for work.

Steven George, now 36, had been jailed for three years in January 2008, after the motorist he was racing died in a collision.

He had admitted causing death by dangerous driving, failing to stop and failing to report an accident, after entering the “unspoken challenge” with John Suthers, 34.

Burnley Crown Court had heard how the pair who had not known each other began racing after Mr George’s Subaru Impreza had travelled at “grossly excessive speeds” and too close to Mr Suthers’ Vauxhall Nova.

Shocked witnesses had spoken of them racing at up to 90mph for up to 1.2 miles along the 40mph stretch of Manchester Road, Clowbridge, on October 20, 2006.

Mr Suthers, who moved to the Orkney Isles in 2005, had lost control and crashed. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The court was told Mr George now works for Barnfield Construction. It was hoped he could become a site manager and it would help his employers if he could drive.

Mr George, who had lived at Hordley Street, Burnley, when he was sentenced, was said at the time to have driven 600 miles a day in his job before the crash and had never had a speeding ticket.

He was released from jail in July 2009.

Judge Beverley Lunt, who had sentenced him to jail, restored his driving licence. She said he had served four years and three months of the ban and in this day and age it was not easy to get work.

At the time of sentence, Mr George had sobbed as the judge had told him he would have to live with the fact he had contributed to the victim’s death.

After the original court hearing Sergeant Martin Bishop said Mr Suthers, 34, lost control of his car as he drove around a bend crashing into a Land Rover. He died from serious head injuries.

Mr George remains disqualified until he passes the mandatory extended re-test which anyone convicted of a dangerous driving offence must take.

Mr Suthers’ mother, Jennifer Mattinson yesterday refused to comment.