Gary Dodd, of Deanland Park in Golden Cross, appeared before the town's magistrates on Thursday morning (October 2) and pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol on July 29.

Prosecutor Alison May told magistrates a concerned motorist phoned the police when he saw the defendant was 'unsteady on his feet and walking slowly' at the petrol station in Golden Cross.

The motorist went in to the shop at the petrol station, saw Dodd select a bottle of cider, smelt alcohol on his breath and saw him swaying as he stood next to him in the queue.

Dodd drove off along the A22 in his Mondeo and the motorist described him as 'hammered' and said he 'couldn't believe he was driving'.

Police went to Dodd's address around half an hour after the incident and found him in the living room of his home with a nearly empty bottle of Frosty Jack cider.

Ms May told magistrates the defendant explained to police he had not had anything to eat for 48 hours, had been drunk the night before and had consumed a glass of cider an hour and a half before driving to the petrol station. He told the officers he had returned home and consumed two glasses of cider before they arrived.

Breath tests and details were sent to forensic scientists and it was calculated that Dodd had 68mcg of alcohol in 100ml of breath at the time he was driving. The legal limit is 35mcg.

Jay Shah, defending, said, "The events speak for themselves but Mr Dodd essentially has no nerve endings in his feet so that is why he may have seemed unsteady on his feet at the garage forecourt."

Magistrates imposed a 17-month ban and ordered the defendant to pay a £100 fine, £60 in court costs and a £15 surcharge.