A TEENAGE learner driver crashed his mother's car after taking it for an early-hours drive without permission.

William George Symon admitted aggravated vehicle taking, driving without a licence or insurance, and drink-driving when he appeared before magistrates in Hereford.

Emergency services were called to a crash in Cradley in the early hours of the morning on August 10, prosecutor Elizabeth Blacklock said.

On arrival they found an abandoned Volkswagen Polo with a missing wheel.

Symons, who had left the scene, then returned and identified himself to police as the driver.

He was arrested after failing a roadside breath test and an evidential test revealed he had 54 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath.

Symon's mother, who owned the car, told police he had woken her up that night asking for her keys so he could retrieve an item from inside.

She then fell back to sleep but was woken again later that morning by her son, who told her he had written her car off, and she ordered him to return to the scene and speak to the police.

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Chris Read, for Symon, said the 18-year-old had been out for the evening with friends.

"He asked to borrow the keys to get something out of the car, but while he was in it temptation came and he decided to drive it.

"Unfortunately he crashed."

Symon, of Lower Westfields, Cradley, was disqualified from driving for 15 months, handed a 12 month community order, and must carry out 200 hours of unpaid work. He was also fined £300 and must pay costs of £135 and a £95 victim surcharge.