AN ILMINSTER man who crashed his car after drinking at a christening has been given a 14-month driving ban after he was found to be over the drink-drive limit.

Police were called to Cricket Malherbie after Sam Alexander Rowswell rolled his car when he left the road.

While being treated by ambulance staff at the scene he took a roadside breath test which produced a positive result.

Rowswell, 25, of Adams Meadow, admitted pleaded guilty to driving a Vauxhall Astra on August 13 after consuming excess alcohol.

Somerset Magistrates were told that ambulance crews took Rowswell to hospital, where a test showed he had 159mlg of alcohol in 100l of urine. The legal limit is 107mlg.

Prosecutor Emma Lenanton said that Rowswell had been travelling through Cricket Lane in Cricket Malherbie when his vehicle left the carriageway and landed upside down on a grass verge.

“Police and ambulance crews attended the scene and he was taken out of the vehicle and at 10.30pm he provided a positive breath test while being treated in the rear of the ambulance,” she said.

“He was taken to Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton and while there a further test produced a reading of 159mlg of alcohol in 100l of urine. The legal limit is 107mlg of alcohol.”

Defending solicitor Greg Peters said that Rowswell had attended a christening and during that time he was drinking alcohol and regrettably had an argument with his partner, and drove off.

“He stupidly decided to drive off and a single vehicle accident occurred where the emergency services attended and extricated the defendant from the vehicle,” he said.

“He is only too aware of how reckless and stupid he was on that day and his actions were totally out of character. He also wants to apologise saying he has very much learnt his lesson.”

Rowswell said he wanted to thank everybody involved in helping him on that day and his car was also written off which had had a profound effect upon him.

Magistrates also fined him £380 and ordered him to pay £85 costs.