A local man has been banned from driving after he drove home from Hallowe'en celebrations whilst over twice the legal drink-drive limit.
Forty-year-old Andrew John Giffard was stopped by police carrying out a safety check on the unclassified road between St. Florence and The Ridgeway at approximately 12.30 am on November 1, magistrates sitting in Tenby heard on Tuesday.
Previously the holder of a clean licence, Giffard, of Station Cottage, Station Road, Manorbier, had been to Hallowe'en celebrations at a public house in St. Florence, his solicitor, Mr. Robert Jones, explained.
The licensee had 'phoned Giffard and his wife a taxi, and they were told they would have to wait around an hour-and-a-half for the cab which they accepted, but after two hours and with the pub shutting, the couple decided to walk home.
However, it was 'pitch black', they turned back and Giffard drove the car.
Although he refused to provide a sample of breath for a roadside breath test, evidential samples of breath taken at the police station showed Giffard was over twice the drink-drive limit with 93 mg of alcohol in 100 ml of breath. The legal limit is 35 mg.
A self-employed television and satellite engineer, losing his licence would have "fairly dramatic" effect for Giffard, Mr. Jones told the bench.
"He will hopefully be able to afford to employ a driver," said Mr. Jones, "but he faces an uncertain future."
"He is dependent on his driving licence," he continued.
"He has no-one to blame but himself," he added.
Giffard, who admitted driving with excess alcohol, was banned from driving for two years and ordered to pay a £200 fine, with costs of £50.