A WOMAN who crashed her car while over the drink drive limit hid behind a tree to avoid police officers, a court heard.

Appearing at North East Wales Magistrates’ Court, Nicola Tracey Birchall pleaded guilty to a charge of driving a motor vehicle when her alcohol level was above the legal limit following the incident in Ruabon on February 27.

Justin Espie, prosecuting, said Birchall, 48, of Ash Grove, Acrefair, was driving her Vauxhall Astra at around 4.30pm along the A539 when she veered off the road and down an embankment.

Birchall received serious injuries to her face but left the vehicle and when officers arrived at the scene they found her hiding behind her tree before asking “you’re not the police are you?”

Her injuries required her to be taken to hospital where she gave a reading of 101 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood. The legal limit is 80 milligrammes.

Patrick Geddes, defending, said his client did have a previous conviction for drink driving and now had “no interest in driving again whatsoever”.

Chair of the bench, Penny Rodgers, fined Birchall £120 and banned her from driving for three years.

She will also pay court costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £30.