By BRIAN TILLEY

Last updated 13:41, Thursday, 02 October 2008

HUGHIE Milburn’s magic tractor has been at it again!

For after picking up a string of parking tickets in Leeds city centre, the Birtley landlord’s veteran vehicle has now been clocked by a speed camera in Manchester doing 44 mph in a 30 mph limit.

And that’s despite the fact that the half-century old Massey Ferguson warhorse has never left the shed where Hughie put it after buying it as a restoration project in April.

“It probably wouldn’t have done more than 20 mph when it was brand new,” said Hughie, who now faces a possible £1,000 fine and six points on his driving licence.

“And there’s certainly no way it would do 44 mph now, because it has a burst radiator, and wouldn’t get to the end of the village!”

And the exasperated publican, who runs the Percy Arms pub at Birtley, near Wark, with his wife Gloria, added: “The police say they are going to send me a copy of the picture of the old Fergie doing 44mph – I can’t wait to see it!

“It must be obvious to a blind man from the picture that the vehicle speeding through Manchester is not a farm tractor, for goodness sake, so why have they sent a speeding fine made out for a Massey Ferguson?

“It’s well beyond a joke now.”

A spokesman for Drivesafe, the partnership responsible for issuing speeding tickets in the Greater Manchester area, confirmed this week that a ticket had been issued for a Massey Ferguson which was alleged to have gone through a speed camera in Bury New Road, Broughton, at an excess speed on September 17.

Further study of the picture has revealed the offending vehicle was not a tractor, but a left-hand drive silver Hyundai saloon, registered in Belgium, which legally has the same registration plate as Hughie’s tractor.

The spokesman said: “Unfortunately for Mr Milburn, this car is quite entitled to be on the road in this country, so we can’t rule out him receiving more tickets.”