A COURT bench which slashed a mother-of-13's unpaid fines after she was caught driving while banned was only following guidelines, magistrates' bosses said today.

As reported in yesterday's Lancashire Evening Telegraph, the decision to cut Ellen Morris's unpaid fines by two-thirds when she could have faced six months in jail sparked fury among road safety campaigners.

But today government legal chiefs said the magistrates had only followed the law.

And the Magistrates Association, which has more than 28,000 members and represents 80 per cent of serving volunteer Justices of the Peace, offering help and advice to magistrates, refused to comment on why the 40-year-old, who earns £25,000 a year in benefits, avoided jail despite being caught behind the wheel while banned for drink driving.

Morris, of Duckworth Street, Barrowford, was banned from driving for another two years and given a 12-month community order after pleading guilty to driving while disqualified and having no insurance which can carry a six-month prison sentence.

But under the Court Act 2003 her outstanding unpaid fines for previous offences of £2831.68 was reduced to £1,040 because the defendant claimed she could not afford to pay them.

James Notermans from the Magistrates Association said the bench, chaired by Mary Thomas, would have reached its decision based on the evidence presented before it.

He said: "We cannot comment on individual cases. We take the position that there is going to be different circumstances in each case which are going to be worked out in court.

"The sentence in court would have been worked out by following certain guidelines."

The Department of Constitutional Affairs (DCA) said under the Courts Act, which was launched because only 55 per cent of fines were paid, magistrates can chalk off fines in exchange for a community punishment.

Lisa Brett of the DCA said: "There is a relatively new piece of legislation called the Courts Act in which it is up to the magistrates discretion how they treat defendants.

"If you can prove you generally do not have the means to pay you can transfer part of your fines to a community punishment."