A FOOTBALLER from Wrexham was “swerving across the road” before he was stopped by police for drink driving.

Carlos Miguel Pires Canas, 25, of Stephens Lane in Rhos, had been on a night out with his football club teammates when his swerving Fiat Bravo was noticed by police on the A525 Ruthin Road shortly after 3.30am on December 22 last year.

Rhian Jackson, prosecuting, told Mold Magistrates Court police followed Canas for about half a mile along Victoria Road and on to Ruabon Road, where he again was observed “swerving” on the carriageway and they signalled him to stop.

Canas admitted to officers that he had been drinking and after being taken into custody, produced a lowest reading of 68 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, which he was told by a judge was “effectively” twice the legal limit of 35mg/100ml.

Bethan Jones, defending, told the court how Canas had been out at his football club's Christmas party and didn’t think he was over the limit when he decided to drive home in the early hours of the morning.

Ms Jones said her client, who is a factory worker on Wrexham Industrial Estate, had been gracious in accepting that other people could have been affected by his driving on the night in question.

She asked that his early guilty plea and his co-operation with the police be taken into account.

Deputy District Judge Gerallt Jones told Canas that the only punishment was “an immediate disqualification” and how he was “effectively twice over the legal limit”.

He banned Canas from the road for a period of 18 months and he was ordered to pay costs of £85 and a surcharge of £32.