A CRASH driver rolled his car while almost three times the limit after celebrating St Patrick's Day.

John Barratt admitted drink-driving when he appeared before magistrates in Hereford.

Police were called after he lost control of his red Hyundai on the A44 at Kington, rolling it and coming to rest in a field at 10.45am on March 18, prosecutor Eleanor Peart said.

Barratt was arrested after failing a roadside breath test, with an evidential test revealing he had 93 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath.

In interview, he told police he had drunk a lot the night before and said he had skidded on mud before crashing into the field.

OTHER NEWS:

Philip Cornell, for Barratt, said the 37-year-old was very upset about it all and still could not quite understand how it happened.

"He is unused to drinking and it was St Patrick's Day the day before," Mr Cornell said.

"He was with his Irish family and drank too much. The next day he had to go and see someone in Penybont. There was mud on that road and he was obviously going a bit too fast, and the car flipped over and he could have been killed.

"He is a responsible person and I would ask that you are as lenient as you can be."

The court heard that Barratt has worked in a care home for the last 16 years and will be able to keep his job as it is within walking distance of his home.

Barratt, of The Square, Kington, was handed a 12-month community order with 60 hours of unpaid work and disqualified from driving for 23 months. He must also pay costs of £135 and a £95 victim surcharge.