A teenager was so desperate to gorge himself on chips that he stole his uncle's car and drove it to the local takeaway with no driving licence, motor insurance, MOT or road tax.
But now Brendan Poole is facing the loss of any right to get a great deal from a young driver car insurance firm after magistrates gave him seven penalty points.
West Allerdale Magistrates' Court heard how the 18-year-old was working at a garage in Maryport, Cumbria, when he his stomach started to rumble and he felt a sudden urge for a bag of chips. With not enough time to walk to the chippy, he jumped into the seat of his uncle's car - which had been left at the garage to get an MOT - and drove off to get his lunch.
He didn't quite make it to the chip shop however, as police officers pulled him over after they became concerned at his erratic driving. Discovering he only had a provisional licence and it wasn't even his car, the police promptly arrested him and carted him off to the local station. He never did get his chips.
Defending the youngster, Mike Fanning said, "He didn't think through the significance of this. He wouldn't have considered taking any other vehicle.
"He is very highly thought of by both his employer and his uncle and he is not being sacked for this."
Describing Poole's actions as "absolutely ludicrous", district judge Gerald Chalk gave the teenager a 12-month conditional discharge, fined him £100, endorsed his licence with seven points and ordered him to pay £43 costs.
A spokesman for Hoot Car Insurance Services, the young driver car insurance experts, commented, "Maybe this lad will think twice next time he wants some chips."