THE MULTI-MILLIONAIRE boss of eyecare firm Optical Express has been banned from the roads after being caught driving at 133mph.

David Moulsdale, 46, had been travelling back to Scotland from Manchester on business when he put the foot down in his Audi car after hearing his son had been injured in a go-karting accident.

Police clocked him going at 133mph on the M74 northbound between Abington and Douglas in Lanarkshire while carrying out spot checks on motorists' speeds.

Officers then went in pursuit of the entrepreuner and saw him overtake a lorry and a car before they were able to catch up with him.

The businessman appeared at Lanark Sheriff Court where he admitted travelling nearly twice the limit on the M74 on the morning of September 21, 2014.

His lawyer told the court that father-of-two Moulsdale, of Tarbet, Argyll, racked up almost 30,000 miles a year as he travelled the length and breadth of the UK as part of his job.

He added: "He offers no explanation for his actions. The position is that he was travelling back from Manchester when he received a text message saying that his son, who was go-karting, had sustained an injury.

"He would keep his job but the mandatory disqualification would affect his work."

Sheriff Nikola Stewart told him the speed he was driving at was one of the highest she had seen before banning him from driving for 16 months.

She also fined him £900 and ordered him to take an extended driving test when his ban ends.

Philip Goose, of road safety charity, Brake, said: "This is clearly a case of dangerous, excessive speed that is unacceptable and puts others at risk.

"Speed limits exist for a reason - they save lives. Drivers who disregard the rules of the road by breaking limits should be made aware of the devastation that we witness to those affected by crashes through our support services.

"It is proven beyond doubt that higher speeds result in more casualties, which is why we urge all drivers to treat speed limits as limits, not a target to achieve."

Moulsdale, the son of a taxi driver, set up Optical Express in 1991 with just one shop in Edinburgh.

It grew rapidly through takeovers and expanded overseas. The business specialises in laser eye surgery, dentistry and cosmetic surgery and has more than 130 UK stores.

But in 2013, the Royal Bank of Scotland threatened to pull the plug on its £30million debts before Mr Moulsdale agreed to buy the outstanding debts safeguarding 1600 jobs.

Moulsdale, who is worth around £60million, refused to comment.

Last year figures revealed a 14 per cent spike in driving offences convictions in Scotland.

More than 40,000 people were convicted as officers cracked down on speeding, not wearing a seat belt and parking offences.

The rise in traffic cases meant the number of people being taken to court rose for the first time in seven years.

Government figures revealed the rise in cases was due to a 14 per cent increase in traffic convictions to 40,258 in 2013-14.