A steel erector who was spotted driving slowly and weaving between lanes as he made his way to work was found to be over the drink drive limit.
Luke Hazeldine’s erratic driving caught the attention of police as he drove along Truro Drive, Hartlepool, in his VW Transporter van on April 20 this year.
When the 24-year-old was stopped on the A689 as he was heading east bound, he told officers that he had been drinking the night before.
Newton Aycliffe Magistrates’ Court heard how the defendant had 51 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath when he was breathalysed.
Elisha Marsay, prosecuting, said the defendant co-operated with police as soon as they pulled him over.
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Hazeldine, of Holt Street, Whitworth, Rochdale, represented himself in court and pleaded guilty to driving whilst over the limit.
He said he had stopped drinking at midnight the night before and got up for work around five hours later before setting off to work at the Teesport site.
District Judge Steven Hood said: “If you are drinking late at night, five hours sleep was never going to be enough to get the alcohol out of your system.”
Hazeldine was banned from driving for 14 months and ordered to pay £1,205 in fines and court costs.
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