BLACKBURN Rovers star Jack Rodwell has been fined £70 for speeding – after getting a driving ban overturned.

The 27-year-old utility man, who signed for Rovers after his contract with Sunderland was cancelled in August, was prosecuted for driving at 40mph on the A538 Manchester Road in Macclesfield. The speed limit was 30mph.

Rodwell, of Heybridge Lane, Prestbury, pleaded guilty to the offence, at a brief hearing before magistrates at Warrington on Wednesday.

He was given the equivalent of a fixed penalty notice fine of £70 by magistrates for the charge and ordered to pay a £30 victim surcharge. No court costs were ordered.

The England international had previously been facing a driving ban over the same set of court proceedings.

Magistrates had convicted him of failing to give information regarding the identity of a driver who had committed an offence in a £59,000 Mercedes GLE coupe registered to him.

He was given six points on his licence and the court then had given him a six-month driving ban, under the motoring points totting-up procedure, as he already had six penalty points on his licence. He had been fined £660 with £166 court costs and a £66 victim surcharge.

But the footballer's lawyer Chris Evans was able to successfully argue that his client was unaware of the original court case so the driving disqualification and the financial penalties were all withdrawn.

Mr Evans said that the paperwork relating to the case had been sent to the player's old address and so he had been unable to respond.

The court heard that by the time Rodwell found out about the matters, more than 28 days had elapsed.

Rodwell was given an additional three points on his licence for the speeding offence meaning he now has a total of nine.

Drivers usually lose their licence when they amass 12 points – unless they can argue that they would suffer exceptional hardship from a ban.