A 49-year-old Stonehouse man has been banned from the roads for 18 months after driving in Stroud with almost twice the legal limit of alcohol in his system.

Andrew Birch, of Sherborne Close, Stonehouse, pleaded guilty on April 19 to driving a VW Golf in Dudbridge Road on January 20 after consuming enough alcohol to produce 68 micrograms per 100 milliliters of breath; the legal limit is 35 micrograms.

The judge at Cheltenham Magistrates Court fined Birch £180 and banned him from driving for 18 months.

The disqualification will be reduced by 18 weeks if Birch completes a course approved by the Secretary of State.

Birch must also pay £34 in costs and an £85 surcharge to fund victims services by May 17.