BBC The Repair Shop star Jay Blades has charge of using phone behind wheel dropped

The Repair Shop star Jay Blades has had a charge of using his mobile phone behind the wheel dropped. The BBC presenter, 54, appeared at Walsall Magistrates’ Court wearing a black suit on Tuesday, having earlier pleaded not guilty to allegedly using a handheld mobile device while driving his Land Rover in Millfields Way in Wombourne, Staffordshire, on 2 April. In a two-minute hearing Blades, from Claverley near Wolverhampton, spoke to confirm his plea to the charge remained not guilty, before prosecutor Zulqarnain Saeed confirmed the Crown was offering no evidence. He explained the police officer who was due to give evidence was “unavailable” and therefore the case would not proceed. Watch more on Independent TV: The Independent is the world’s most free-thinking newsbrand, providing global news, commentary and analysis for the independently-minded. Subscribe: Find us on social: TikTok / http