A COMBE St Nicholas man who led a woman on a car chase through several villages while nearly double the drink drive limit only came to a halt when he drove into a hedge.

The female witness, who had initially seen him repeatedly hitting a vehicle outside her address in South Petherton while trying to do a three point turn, got into her car and followed Christopher Neil Dean as he drove off.

At one point he dropped off a female passenger and then drove through Martock, veering towards pedestrians, and then went through Long Sutton, driving on the wrong side of the road, clipping a hedge and hitting his wing mirror on a bridge.

He eventually came to a halt in Catsgore, and when police were called to the scene they breathalysed him and he was arrested.

Dean, 38, of Taylors Meade, pleaded guilty to driving a Vauxhall Astra on Holbrook Park, South Petherton, on October 26 after consuming excess alcohol.

He also admitted driving without due care and attention and failing to stop after an accident occurred when he appeared in the dock before Somerset Magistrates' Court in Yeovil.

Ben Winzar, prosecuting, said that the witness living in South Petherton was woken up at 11pm by a loud noise and looked outside to see the defendant attempting to do a three point turn.

“As it did so it reversed and hit a neighbour’s vehicle three or four times so she shouted at the driver but was told to f**k off,” he said.

“She got dressed and followed the vehicle in her car and then saw a female exit the passenger’s side and Dean made a hand gesture towards her.

“She followed it through Martock and Long Sutton and it was driving on the wrong side of the road, veering across the carriageway and then clipped a hedge.

“The vehicle then veered towards some pedestrians and when it reached Catsgore it swerved to the left and collided with a speed limit sign and came to a stop lying in a ditch.”

The defendant attempted to reverse out of the ditch but the vehicle wouldn’t move so she called the police.

When Dean was ordered to take a roadside breath test he gave a positive result. A further test at the police station produced a reading of 65mcg of alcohol in 100ml of breath. The legal limit is 35mcg of alcohol.

Defending solicitor Jeffrey Bannister said that the offences were very much out of character for Dean but he had become quite upset after dealing with a number of recent bereavements.

“On this occasion he had been to somebody’s retirement party and only took £10 with him, only intending to buy himself and the party person a drink,” he said.

“However there was a free bar and he had one more drink, then another, and has no recollection of leaving the club or giving someone a lift and cannot explain why he behaved in the way he did.”

For drink driving the magistrates fined Dean £400 and banned him from driving for 17 months.

He was fined a further £133 for each offence of failing to stop and careless driving and also ordered to pay £85 costs and a £40 victim surcharge.