Bonnyrigg is a town built on commuting. The great majority of working residents travel out of Midlothian each day — into Edinburgh, round the bypass, or south down the A7 — and the housing has expanded far faster than the transport serving it. That makes a disqualification here a serious practical problem rather than an inconvenience, and it makes the points that lead to one worth contesting. Charles Ferguson Solicitors defend motoring charges throughout Midlothian from our Glasgow office at 20-23 Woodside Place, G3 7QL. Call 0141 345 5735 before you decide how to plead.
Edinburgh Sheriff Court — Road Traffic Cases
Motoring prosecutions arising in Bonnyrigg are heard at Edinburgh Sheriff Court and Justice of the Peace Court, Sheriff Court House, 27 Chambers Street, Edinburgh EH1 1LB, in the Sheriffdom of Lothian and Borders — Midlothian has no sheriff court of its own. Routine summary motoring business — speeding, careless driving, insurance and licence offences — is generally taken in the Justice of the Peace Court, while drink driving, dangerous driving and cases prosecuted on indictment call before a sheriff. Where a collision has caused a death, the charge of causing death by dangerous driving is prosecuted in the High Court of Justiciary, which sits in Edinburgh.
Motoring Offences We Defend in Midlothian
Drink Driving and Drug Driving — Scotland's limit of 50mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood is the lowest in the United Kingdom, and it convicts a great many drivers heading into work the morning after. We examine Intoximeter calibration and maintenance records, the procedure followed at the police station, and whether the hip flask defence is open on the facts. Dangerous Driving — conviction brings disqualification for at least 12 months and a compulsory extended retest, so the boundary with careless driving is very often the whole case. Careless Driving — a question of degree worth arguing properly. Speeding — the A7 south towards Gorebridge, the A6094, the A768, the A701 and the A720 city bypass are all routinely enforced, and the 20mph limits through the Midlothian towns generate a steady volume of charges; we check device type approval and calibration and whether a Notice of Intended Prosecution was served within 14 days. Totting Up and Exceptional Hardship — at 12 penalty points the court must disqualify for at least 6 months unless exceptional hardship is proved on evidence. Driving Without Insurance — 6 to 8 penalty points or discretionary disqualification. Mobile Phone Offences — 6 penalty points. Driving While Disqualified — a charge carrying a real risk of custody.
Commuting Out of Midlothian
Midlothian's own labour market is small relative to its population, so the county exports workers. The Borders Railway has helped some journeys, but it serves a handful of stations and not the industrial estates, the Bush and Pentlands science and research sites, or the retail and distribution parks around the bypass — and it does not run at the hours care staff, hospitality workers and shift crews actually travel. Trades operating out of Bonnyrigg cover the whole of the Lothians and the Borders from a van. Where a disqualification would cost you your employment, that has to be shown to the court in specific terms: rotas, contract requirements, journey times and figures. Call 0141 345 5735 at any hour and ask us about Legal Aid.
Areas Served Across Midlothian
We act for drivers charged anywhere in Midlothian, including Bonnyrigg, Lasswade, Eskbank, Dalkeith, Newtongrange, Newbattle, Gorebridge, Rosewell, Roslin, Bilston, Loanhead, Danderhall, Mayfield, Pathhead and Penicuik. Charges commonly arise on the A7, the A6094, the A768, the A701 and the A720 city bypass. Call 0141 345 5735.