BBC TV star banned from driving after crash involving three parked cars

The former racing driver and Celebrity Race Across The World star crashed into three parked cars in Surrey - he has now been banned from driving

TV personality Billy Monger has been handed a driving ban following his involvement in a significant collision. The ex-racer, known for his appearance on Celebrity Race Across The World, was involved in an incident where he struck three stationary vehicles in Surrey.

Authorities reported that he failed to maintain control of his black Toyota Supra on a road with a 30mph limit in Limpsfield, resulting in the car crashing into the parked vehicles before ending up in a residential garden. The 25 year old from Stan Hill, Charlwood, pleaded guilty to driving without due care and attention.

His vehicle collided with a Volkswagen Lupo, a Volkswagen Golf, and a Citroen C3, inflicting considerable damage upon them, before hitting a lamppost, wall, and hedge on Snatts Hill at approximately 11:55 pm on January 19. Monger, who gained fame through Race Across the World and is currently preparing for the Ironman triathlon world championships as part of a Comic Relief challenge, received a driving disqualification for 49 days and was ordered by Guildford Magistrates' Court to pay fines and costs amounting to £2,694.

Rick Scholey, the supervisor for the Road Traffic Collision team which handled the investigation, commented: "Monger was not paying attention when he lost control of his car which resulted in him colliding with three parked cars, causing significant damage to the vehicles before then colliding with a hedge and wall belonging to a nearby house.

"Thankfully, no one was in the road at the time otherwise this could have had far more serious consequences.", reports the Mirror. Witnesses on the scene allege that his car was speeding between 40 - 50mph in a 30mph zone. The court was informed that Billy had fled the scene of the midnight crash with his female passenger.

He had pleaded to the court to keep his license as he claimed it would assist his own limited mobility. Bench Chair Ann Whelan addressed Billy, who appeared via videolink: "We note your previous driving record and will not depart from the guidelines. From this moment in time you are a disqualified driver and cannot drive. If you do so it is a serious offence you could go to prison for."

The racer already had six points on his license for speeding offences on March 7, 2021, and October 28, 2023. Meanwhile, prosecutor Russel Greenhouse informed the court: "This was a damage-only four vehicle road collision involving a black Toyota Supra driven by this defendant and a silver VW Lupo, a silver VW Golf and a red Citroen.

"It is a residential road with a slight gradient and a 30mph limit. Cars are parked on both sides, the weather was fair and the road conditions fine. There were two witnesses to the collision and the first, who was sitting in his car, says the black Supra passed him at high speed and his car shook as it passed at an estimate of 40mph-50mph."

"The vehicle has slightly lost control, scuffed the VW and gone through a bush and hedge and collided with the two cars in the driveway. The second witness says they heard a loud raging engine and saw the vehicle losing control, leave the road and come to rest in the garden."

Billy reported the incident the next morning but allegedly gave no details of the incident to Surrey Police. He was initially charged with failing to stop but this was later dropped.

Duncan Jones, Monger's lawyer, told the court: "This is an unusual case, given Mr Monger's personal background. This accident was caused by excessive speed and Mr Monger accepts that he drove without due care and attention and his lapse was driving too fast around the bend. He accepts that he was driving too quickly and this accident would not have happened otherwise."

He added: "Mr Monger wants to make it clear that he does not want to get special treatment, but the impact of a disqualification for a young man with his disability is a relevant consideration for the court. He has no previous convictions and has shown remorse by his guilty plea and you will see the impact and feelings of guilt this has had on him and he takes full responsibility for it. He was a former racing driver and in 2017, just before his eighteenth birthday he was involved in a crash and that accident was very serious and it was very high profile at the time.

"He was a young man with a bright future in motor racing and who knows where that would have gone, but the crash resulted in him spending five days in a coma and sadly both legs amputated." Now a Channel 4 Formula 1 commentator, Monger has been labelled an inspiration following the tragic accident at Donnington Park that left him without his legs at the tender age of 17.