A Painswick restaurant chef has been banned from the roads for 18 months after being caught driving erratically while over the alcohol limit on the A46.

At Cheltenham Magistrates Court yesterday, Wednesday, prosecutor May Li said that on March 8th this year at 6.55pm a motorist's attention was drawn towards a black Jaguar car ahead of him when it nearly hit a central island heading towards Cross Keys roundabout.

Ms Li said: “The driver of the Jaguar narrowly missed hitting a parked car and it continued travelling south towards Painswick on the A46.

“The witness observed that the car was being driven very slowly and criss-crossed the central white lines on numerous occasions, and decided to follow it.

“As the vehicle approached Painswick it collided with the grass verge and crossed the central road markings by at least two feet into the path of an oncoming vehicle.

“The car stopped at the red traffic lights in the centre of the village before turning left and parking up.

“The witness saw a man getting out of the car and walking the short distance into Cardynham House.”

The court heard that the police were called to the property where Marin Petre, 52, initially denied being the driver but he was identified by the witness and he then admitted it.

The police noticed that Petre was unsteady on his feet and smelt of alcohol. He was breathalysed at the police station and the lowest reading was 72 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, the legal limit being 35.

Petre claimed he had only consumed two pints.

Samir Tahir, defending said: “Petre rarely drinks, but on this particular occasion he had been socialising at a friend’s house. He doesn’t agree with the witness’s account of his driving, but in reality it will make little difference to any sentence.

“Petre is the chef at St Michael’s Bistro and Restaurant. He came from Romania 17 years ago to the UK and he has held a driving licence for 26 years.

“He knows he will be disqualified from driving and he says that will impact on the business in making deliveries and the like.

“He is very remorseful over his actions, which is very out of character for him.”

Petre of St Mary’s Street Painswick pleaded guilty to drink driving. The magistrates banned him from driving for 18 months and fined him £288, ordered him to pay a victim surcharge of £34 and court costs of £85.