A former English teacher at Ysgol Bro Teifi has been reprimanded by the Education Workforce Council after being convicted of driving whilst almost three times over the legal drink-drive limit.

Huw Davies was reported to police on the afternoon of July 30, 2021, after witnesses saw him enter a garage on the A40 between St Clears and Carmarthen.

They described him as being intoxicated with red eyes and dilated pupils and as he drove off, he was ‘all over the road’.

Earlier this week an EWC professional conduct committee was told by presenting officer Clare Hastie that police eventually caught up with Davies in the Tesco supermarket car park, Carmarthen. He was sitting inside the vehicle and his keys were in the ignition.

Smelling intoxicants on his breath, a roadside breath test was carried out which proved positive. Davies was taken to Carmarthen police station where he gave a further reading of 120 mcg; the legal limit is 35.

Addressing the professional conduct committee by video link, Davies said he was ashamed of his actions.

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He said he had ‘stupidly’ stopped for a drink on his way home from a family camping holiday in St Davids, after the rest of his family travelled home separately.

The panel heard that since the conviction in August 2021, Davies has sought the help of Alcoholics Anonymous and the Dyfed Drugs and Alcohol Service.

Davies started teaching at Ysgol Bro Teifi in 2016 however, following periods of absence, left with mutual agreement at the end of August 2021.

He has recently been working as a supply English teacher through an agency at Queen Elizabeth High School in Carmarthen.

Imposing a reprimand on Davies, committee chair Michelle McBreeze described his actions as ‘a serious incident of offending behaviour’.

She claimed that as a result of his decision in July 2021, Davies had lost nearly everything.

“But as a result of the steps he has taken steps taken to address his issues, he could still be an asset to the profession," she added.

"The purpose of a sanction is not to be punitive. Mr Davies' behaviour was unacceptable, but it must not happen again”.

The reprimand will remain for two years and be disclosed to employers. Mr Davies has the right to appeal to the High Court within 28 days.