A Cenarth man has been banned from driving for 17 months after admitting being nearly double the drink drive limit.

Michael David Smith, aged 37 of Garth Cottage, pleaded guilty to driving a vehicle while over the legal alcohol limit when he appeared before Aberystwyth magistrates on Wednesday.

The court heard that police officers spotted Smith driving a Ford Transit on the A484 at Cenarth on July 13 at around 1.45am.

They saw Smith attempt to reverse into a parking space, before witnessing him crash into a hedge adjacent to a garden, and could smell alcohol when they approached him.

He was taken to the police station and found to have 68mg of alcohol in 100ml of breath, the legal limit is 35mg.

Smith, who represented himself, and had previously held a clean drivers licence, apologised to the court for his actions.

He said: “I have not been myself and I was not thinking straight. It’s been a tough couple of years and this has been a wake-up call for me.

“This is the first time I’ve ever driven over the limit. I drove about 800 yards and thought ‘what am I doing?’ I was going to walk home.”

He added: “I’m sorry for what I’ve done, I know I’ve done wrong. I’m an idiot.”

Magistrates fined Smith £300 and ordered him to pay £85 court costs and a £30 victim surcharge.

He was disqualified from driving for 17 months.