A MOTORIST from Dalton who was drunk at the wheel was warned that she could have gone to prison after crashing into a parked car when she was more than three times above the legal drink-drive limit.

In a "moment of madness", Sarah Holme attempted to drive home from a friend's 50th birthday party in the early hours of the morning despite being under the influence of alcohol.

She pleaded guilty to drink driving at Furness Magistrates' Court on Tuesday January 17 after a breathalyser test revealed that she had 122 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath at the time of the incident – with the legal limit being 35.

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Mr Lee Dacre, prosecuting, told the court that police were called to an incident in Greystone Lane at 1.35am on December 30.

Upon arrival they found a Nissan Micra that had crashed into a parked vehicle.

The defendant, of Ennerdale Close, Dalton, admitted to being the owner of the Micra and said she had been drinking heavily 20 minutes prior to setting off.

The parked vehicle which Holme crashed into was effectively "written off" due to the extent of the damage caused by the collision.

Mr Andrew Gallagher, defending, said: "This is not something she does regularly.

"She had been at a friend's 50th birthday party and in a moment of madness she thought it would be quicker to drive home than look into alternative transport arrangements.

"She accepts fully that that it was a stupid act and takes full responsibility for the matter."

District Judge Mr Gerald Chalk recognised that Holme was "a lady of previous good character" with no criminal convictions prior to this offence.

However, he warned her that the offence committed was "extremely serious" due to the high breathalyser reading recorded and said that it could have carried a jail sentence.

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Mr Chalk added: "You have had a road traffic accident and thank God no one was injured."

The 49-year-old was ordered to complete 180 hours of unpaid work and made to pay court costs of £85 as well as a victim surcharge of the same amount.

Holme, who works as a kitchen assistant at a residential home, was also banned from driving for two-and-a-half years and has had to be transferred to a new care home in Barrow in light of her disqualification.