FORMER East 17 singer Brian Harvey has been banned from driving and fined after being found guilty of speeding.

Harvey, 33, represented himself at the hearing, at Chippenham Magistrates Court.

Traffic officers told the court they had to drive up to 138 mph to catch up with him on the M4 last May, but Harvey denied he was speeding.

He claimed officers had wrongly recorded his car as an Audi. However chief magistrate Michael Sutton rejected Harvey's version of events and fined him £390, along with a six-month ban.

It is not the first time the singer's driving has got him into trouble. In 2005 he shattered his pelvis after becoming trapped under the wheels of his own car in a freak accident.

Outside court, Harvey told reporters he wouldn't be coming back to Chippenham in a hurry, but soon found he had difficulty leaving the Wiltshire town.

The fallen star had to request the help of reporters to push-start his car, which was being driven by a friend, as the battery had gone flat during the course of the hearing.

He said: "The magistrates were very lenient and I appreciate that.

"It is not the outcome I had hoped for but at least I don't have any points. Representing myself was a laugh."

East 17 fans will be pleased to hear that the band are working on a new album and plan to tour soon.

The singer also said he is to star in a gangster film called Fight Back, which he has already recorded the soundtrack for.