Man blames chickens after flipping car onto roof

A Ballasalla man who crashed a car after being distracted by a group of chickens has been fined £450.

47-year-old William Michael Reubens, of St Marks, ended up flipping his son's vehicle onto its roof on September 15th. 

At Douglas Courthouse on Thursday he admitted driving without due care and attention and without insurance. 

Police were called to Orrisdale Road just before 8.30am - they found the VW Golf covered in mud and with significant damage to its roof, wheels and windscreen. 

Reubens' advocate told the court he'd seen the chickens emerge from a farm and had been looking at them in his mirror before he hit a stone and ended up in the ditch. 

She added that the insurance matter was 'a pure and simple mistake' explaining that Reubens believed he was insured on his son's policy. 

Magistrates ordered Reubens to pay £50 in prosecution costs and endorsed his driving licence with six penalty points.