Chesterfield magistrates were told on Wednesday that police saw a Vauxhall Astra being driven erratically on Mansfield Road, Tibshelf, just before midnight on 21st September.

They followed it into an industrial estate, where its fog lights where switched on unnecessarily, and stopped the car.

Driver Adrian Slater smelled of drink and went on to give a reading of 120mcgs of alcohol in 100mls of breath, the limit being 35mcgs.

Slater (35), of Leamington Drive, admitted drink-driving. Magistrates ruled out custody because he had no previous convictions.

The bench ordered him to do 120 hours unpaid work and handed him a 30-month driving ban that will be reduced by 30 weeks if he passes a drink-driving rehabilitation course.

In mitigation, Abbie Edwards said: "He had been out with friends and had around seven drinks and wrongly thought he would be okay to drive because of the relatively short distance he was travelling.

"He is now full of regret. He is ashamed and embarrassed by his actions and says the offence has put him in a state of shock at the effect it has had on himself on his family."

Miss Edwards told the court that Slater had been working as a lorry driver and plant operator but that job ended when his boss knew he would be banned from driving.

She added: "His boss was extremely upset at losing a valued member of staff and offered him another job maintaining lorries, but that involves relocating to London - so he has applied for alternative work locally.

"He doesn't have a drink problem and hasn't touched alcohol since the incident."