A SOUTH African motorist who was caught drink driving could be deported after it emerged that she has been living in the UK illegally since November 2015.

Brenda Zitha, of Craig Walk, Windermere, pleaded guilty to drink driving and driving without a licence or insurance at Furness Magistrates' Court yesterday.

Mr Tom Snape, prosecuting, told the court that Zitha was stopped by police in Rayrigg Road shortly before midnight on New Year's Eve after officers spotted a Mercedes driving erratically on the 40mph road.

The 38-year-old was asked to pull over on to a nearby car park where an officer concluded that she was under the influence of alcohol.

She provided a breath sample at the roadside which found that she had 60 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, with the legal limit being 35 microgrammes.

After being arrested, officers realised that Zitha had been living in the country illegally and had been driving without insurance or a licence.

Mr Duncan Nightingale, defending, said that his client has been living in the UK since May 2015 after travelling over with her boyfriend on a six-month visa.

The relationship broke down and Zitha didn't have enough money to get back to South Africa. She then moved in with a new boyfriend but didn't renew her visa.

Mr Nightingale then explained the problems with Zitha's South African driving licence and his client's surprise at how expensive it was to insure her vehicle.

He said: "She bought the Mercedes last year paying £480 for it. This is not a new car, it's a 2003 registration and unfortunately for her she has got things in the wrong order.

"She bought the car without looking into insurance then realised how much it would cost to insure a Mercedes.

"Insurance in South Africa is more relaxed. They are far hotter on driving without a licence than they are insurance so she thought it was something she could get round to doing without there being a rush to get it done immediately.

"She was also under the impression that she could drive in this country for two years with her South African licence but it is only in fact for one year."

Mr Nightingale also added that Zitha had been drinking in the afternoon and the evening and this led to her sample being over the legal limit.

Magistrates disqualified Zitha from driving for 17 months, endorsed her licence with six penalty points and ordered her to pay fines of £240.

She was also made to pay a victim surcharge of £30 and court costs of £85.

After her sentencing, Zitha was taken back to the police station. She will now be moved to a detention centre while immigration officials launch an investigation into her illegal stay in the UK.