A restaurant manager at Coniston Hotel, Coniston Cold, was more than two and a half times over the drink-drive limit when he lost control of his car, Skipton magistrates were told.

Ross Roberts, 24, was heading towards Hellifield at around 3.20am on November 11 when he lost control of his BMW car while reaching for a cigarette lighter, the court heard.

His car went across the A65 at Coniston Cold and hit a tree before rebounding back across the road.

Police attending the scene breathalysed Roberts and following a positive result, took him to the police station where he was found to have 94 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35.

In mitigation, John Mewies said Roberts, who admitted drink-driving, was not a habitual drinker and worked around 65 hours a week at Coniston Hotel, where he was in charge of the restaurant.

He said he believed he was fit to drive after doing a fellow staff member a favour and taking her home following a bonfire party.

He said no-one else had been involved and, to his credit, Roberts had stayed with the car rather than leaving the scene.

Roberts, of The Green, Long Preston, was fined £395, banned from driving for 22 months and ordered to pay £85 costs and a £39 victims surcharge.

If he completes a drink drivers’ rehabilitation course by February 27, 2015, his ban will be reduced by 22 weeks.