A COMPANY boss says jobs may go after he lost a fight to keep his driving licence.

Terence Eastwood, 57, the £60,000-a-year managing director of RTE Fabrications Ltd, Lomax Street, Darwen, was banned for six months under the totting up procedure in April.

Hyndburn magistrates heard Eastwood, whose company last year turned over £1.5million and made a net profit of £250,000, had clocked up his fourth speeding offence in two and a half years.

He urged an appeal hearing to find exceptional hardship and lift the ban.

He told Burnley Crown Court he and a joiner were the salesmen who brought in business and if he lost his licence and couldn't produce as much work, he might have to lay people off from his 25-strong workforce.

The company makes and fits uPVC conservatories, porches, doors and windows, and he said employing a driver would not work.

But Eastwood, of Sunnyhurst Lane, Darwen, lost his appeal against sentence and must serve the disqualification.

Recorder Nigel Grundy, who had seen the company accounts and been told trade was down by between eight and 10 per cent this year, said it was unlikely it was going to significantly dent the net profits.

The judge, sitting with two magistrates, said: "It appears this is a professional business.

"There are monies within the business if needs be to allow for reorganisation so that a driver can be employed and other people can be reallocated at particular times.

"We are sympathetic that no doubt this will cause inconvenience.

"In our judgement it's no more than inconvenience and we are not satisfied there is exceptional hardship."

The appeal hearing was told the lower court also heard an exceptional hardship argument on Eastwood's behalf.

Jeffrey Samuels, for Eastwood, said his client was of impeccable character and over the last 20 years had built up his firm from scratch.

Eastwood had work going on at about 10 residential sites at any one time and his hands-on involvement was needed.

He could be called on at any time to either the survey, manufacture, building or fitting processes and also visited customers in their homes, often putting in a 12-hour day, the court was told.