Mansfield man rang police to tell them he’d driven home from pub after eight pints

Hayden Clark admitted what he had done and said he would be waiting for them at his home at 2.30am on March 9, said Alexis Mercer prosecuting.

A breath test revealed he had 87 microgrammes of alcohol when the legal limit is 35 microgrammes.

“He said he had driven to the pub with his wife and drank seven or eight pints which he wouldn't normally do,” Ms Mercer said. “He said he was well aware of the risks.

Nichola Thorpe, mitigating, said Clarke, who has no previous convictions, has suffered from severe depression for 18 months and recently lost his job in construction.

“He argued with his wife and left the pub,” she said. “When he got home he realised what he did and called the police.

“He has a very supportive family and is trying to get back on track. It is very out of character.”

Clarke, aged 26, of Armstrong Road, Mansfield, admitted drink driving when he appeared at Mansfield Magistrates Court, on Tuesday.

The presiding magistrate told him: "Very unusual circumstances. You recognised you had done a wrong thing and you came clean.

“This is the lowest penalty we can impose under the circumstances.”

He was disqualified for 18 months but a rehabilitation course could reduce the ban by 25 per cent if he successfully completes it before a set date.

He was fined £120 with £85 costs and a £48 surcharge.