A WREXHAM woman, who was found slumped at the wheel of her car at 3.20pm in the afternoon, was more than five times over the drink driving limit, a court heard.

37-year-old Catherine Perkins, of Colliery Road, Rhosddu, was arrested on Monday, July 8 after concerns had been raised about her driving by her family leading to a search of the area by police.

An officer from the Roads Policing Unit located her in a white Mini on Garden Road, Rhosddu, where she was slumped in the driving seat of the car smoking a cigarette.

Perkins provided a positive roadside breath test reading of 196 micrograms in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35 micrograms.

She was immediately arrested and taken to the Wrexham Maelor Hospital before being taken into custody where at the police station she provided a reading of 132 micrograms in 100 millilitres of breath.

Perkins first appeared before Mold Magistrates Court on Tuesday, July 9, where Rhian Jackson, prosecuting, said the incident had happened following an argument with her father where she was staying following the break up of a long term relationship.

She had left the address around 10am and CCTV spotted her buying a sandwich and two bottles of vodka from a nearby Spa. One of the bottles was found partially drunk in the car.

A probation report described how Perkins, a civil servant, had argued with her father and left his address intending on sleeping in her car.

The mother of two had been staying there following a split from her partner of 20 years and had been diagnosed with depression for which she was was taking medication.

Emma Simmoes, defending, said her client was “not ordinarily someone who would frequent the courts”, but she had turned to alcohol to cope following the break up.

Disqualifying Perkins from driving for 32 months and ordering her to undergo six months of alcohol treatment, chair of the bench, Phillip Jones, said: “This is an appalling figure of alcohol and is very, very serious.”

Perkins was also ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work, and to pay £85 prosecution costs and a £90 statutory surcharge.

Following the sentence, PC Rich Priamo of the Roads Policing Unit said: “We are in the middle of our Summer Anti Drink and Drug Drive Campaign, and despite our repeated warnings, sadly, a minority are choosing to ignore our messages and risk not only their own life, but the lives of others by taking to the roads whilst under the influence.

“The roadside reading when she was initially stopped is the highest I have ever dealt with whilst on the unit and thankfully she is now off the road.”