A DRIVER who collided with a wall in Addingham after stopping off at a pub after work was three times over the drink drive limit, heard Skipton magistrates.

Fiona Robinson, 51, had messaged her husband who had agreed to collect her, but had decided she was safe to drive, despite drinking three or four medium glasses of wine, the court heard.

After driving her Alfa Romeo into a wall in Bolton road, at 7.30pm on April 29, she provided a positive road side breath test and was taken to the police station where she was found to have 106 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, the legal limit is 35.

Robinson,a woman of previous good character, who admitted drink driving, had been emboldened by drink and had made the rash decision to drive, the court was told. She also did not want to bother her husband, who had been working all week in London.

In mitigation, Rob Rode said bizarrely, had she drunk less she would not have driven.

"She hit a pothole, over compensated and collided with a wall. She spent the night in custody and as a result of the accident, it has cost her in excess of £5,000 to pay for damage to the wall and to get her vehicle towed away," he said.

Mr Rode said Robinson, a manager, who had raised more than £24,000 for charity, had the support of her employers, but that it would take her more than three hours a day to get to and from work, because there was no direct public transport.

Following a pre-sentence report, Robinson, of Watsons Lane, Norwood, Otley, who the court heard was full of remorse and only a weekend drinker, was handed a 12 month community order with 80 hours unpaid work. She was also banned from driving for 24 months and ordered to pay costs of £85 and surcharge of £85. If she completes a drink drivers rehabilitation course by October 9 next year, her ban will be reduced by 24 weeks.