A TRANSIT van driver has been banned from the roads after being told his medication was not to blame for failing a breath test.

Oliver Lewis admitted drink-driving when he appeared before magistrates in Hereford after previously pleading not guilty at an earlier hearing.

Police were called after Lewis hit a car while behind the wheel of a Transit van in Hereford's Central Avenue on April 21, prosecutor Melanie Winterflood said.

The crash had only caused minor damage, but the other driver thought Lewis had been drinking.

He was arrested after failing a roadside breath test, and an evidential breath test in custody revealed he had 43 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35.

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Gary Harper, for Lewis, said the 36-year-old had initially pleaded not guilty as he believed prescription medication he was taking may have had an effect on the reading.

"We investigated that and the expert report came back saying that would not have had an effect on it unless he had a liver problem, and that is why this is a guilty plea now," Mr Harper said.

"What has happened is that he has made the mistake lots of people have made by drinking a fair amount the night before and driving the next day, not appreciating that it would still be affecting him."

Lewis, who is of Kingsway, Hereford, was disqualified from driving for 12 months and fined £135. He must also pay costs of £135 and a £34 victim surcharge.