Happy Mondays star Bez fined for 90mph careless driving

Bez, whose real name is Mark Berry, denied the charge but was found guilty

Happy Mondays star Bez has been convicted of driving carelessly at 90mph on a motorway in his Bentley Continental.

The 58-year-old cut across an unmarked police car and dangerously undertook other drivers, magistrates in Warrington, Cheshire, heard.

He was arrested after leaving the road at Junction 5 near Manchester Airport on 3 January.

The former dancer, whose real name is Mark Berry, was fined £1,000.

Berry, of Hereford, claimed he speeded up as he thought "some kind of weirdo" was following him, the Crown Prosecution Service said.

Police followed him for 13 minutes on the north-bound carriageway in Cheshire "after he cut across their vehicle, forcing them to brake", the court heard.

Officers then saw him "undertaking other cars and driving at excessive speeds through speed restricted roadworks".

His Bentley was also seen cutting across all three lanes of the motorway in front of a white van.

The star, left, pictured alongside Happy Mondays lead singer Shaun Ryder in 1989

Prosecutor Neil Colville said Berry was driving recklessly and it was "lucky that someone wasn't hurt".

He denied a charge of driving without due care and attention but was found guilty after a trial.

Three points were also added to his licence and he was ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £101 as well as costs of £400.

Bez made his name with Happy Mondays in the so-called "Madchester" music scene, where his dance routines made him the most well-known member of the band alongside frontman Shaun Ryder.

He won Celebrity Big Brother in 2005 and once made a bid to become an MP.