A WHITEHILL man, who drove his car into the side of a house while over the drink-drive limit, has been banned from driving for three years.

David Mathias, aged 69, appeared before Haverfordwest Magistrates Court on Tuesday, December 3, pleading guilty to driving while over the legal drink-drive limit.

Prosecuting, Vaughan Pritchard-Jones told the court: “At 6pm on Wednesday, November 13, this gentleman, it is unsure why but possibly connected with alcohol, drove into the wall of a house on the A478 near Templeton.

“It caused considerable damage to his own vehicle and there was some damage to the wall.

“Police attended and could see the man standing at the side of the road. Somebody had given him a blanket to keep himself warm.

“Police spoke to him and they could smell intoxicants, and the usual procedure commenced. He was taken to the police station where his reading was 67.”

This was nearly twice the legal limit of 35 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath.

Defending, Jonathan Webb said: “He can not give a reasonable account of why he swerved into a wall, he wasn’t sure if he was swerving to avoid another car but it all happened so fast.

“He can not remember what happened and he is not going to make anything up. He admitted drinking before driving but his last drink was some time before so he thought he was ok to drive.”

Chairman of the bench David Simpson said: “You have been caught driving before and you know you shouldn’t be doing it. We hope you would have learned something from the course the last time you did it.”

Mathias was banned from driving for three years.

He was also fined £170, with £85 in court costs and a £32 victim surcharge.