A TEENAGER has been banned from the roads after showing off to friends in a pub car park.

Harry James Basnett entered a guilty plea when he appeared before magistrates in Hereford.

The 19-year-old had been spotted driving his Mazda MX5 in an antisocial manner in Leominster's Etnam Street at 11pm on May 14, prosecutor Shafquat Reaz said.

He was pulled over by police and arrested after failing a roadside breath test. An evidential test in custody revealed he had 60 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35.

Chris Read, for Basnett, said he had spent that evening with friends in Leominster.

"They had gone to the pub and he had a drink," Mr Read said.

"He did not feel that he had drunk enough that he would be drink-driving, but he was wrong. Having come out of the pub, he was showing off to his friends and what attracted the police was that he was spinning his wheels in the pub car park.

"He had no reason to drive as he was staying at a friend's house 50 metres down the road.

The court heard that Basnett, whose contract job involves driving, had spoken to his employers and a solution had been found that would allow him to continue working.

Basnett, of The Patches, Leintwardine, was disqualified from driving for 17 months and fined £400. He must also pay costs of £135 and a £40 victim surcharge.