A ROOFER living in his car at a marina boatyard by the River Medina in East Cowes, caused £2,000 worth of damage to safety railings then drove off without reporting it — which was all caught on CCTV.

Neil Mouland, of no fixed address, admitted driving without due care and attention and failing to report an accident, at Kingston Road, on June 25.

Police responded to a report of a car accident from the marina's manager, who said railings on the water's edge were badly damaged by the driver of a Skoda Fabia car, which was captured on CCTV.

The footage showed Mouland exit his car, look around the vehicle, then he got back into it and drove off, said Siobhan Oxley, prosecuting, at the Isle of Wight Magistrates' Court on Friday, November 18.

Police confirmed Mouland had not reported the accident to the police within a statutory time limit.

The cost of reinstating the railings — a safety feature for pedestrians and boat users — was £2,000, with a section of them 'uprooted' and bent metal remaining, Miss Oxley explained.

Mouland, 37, previously of Woods Drive, Newchurch, had 19 previous convictions for 36 offences, which included drink and drug driving in 2018.

"Had he been stopped, the police would have had an opportunity at the accident scene to give him a roadside breath test. That opportunity has been denied," Miss Oxley told the bench.

For dad-of-three Mouland, Henry Farley said his client had been having a bad year — losing his roofing business, the breakdown in a long-standing relationship and having to live in his car.

"He lived in his car at the boatyard for more than three weeks and was well known to some there, having gone to primary school with them," said Mr Farley.

"He knew he was not going to get away with this. He was having difficulty in coming to terms with his situation and was at a low ebb."

Magistrates ordered a report on Mouland and bailed him, without imposing an interim driving ban, to reappear for sentencing at the same venue on December 16.