A MAN was told he should have walked home after going to his local pub for a meal and drinks on Christmas Eve.

Instead, Mold Magistrates Court heard how Brian Whelan, 54, of George Avenue in the village of Trevor, had decided to drive the short distance home, during which he was stopped by police and found to be more than three times over the limit.

Rhian Jackson, prosecuting, told the court how North Wales Police had received a call from a concerned member of the public that a male was unsteady on his feet as he walked towards his silver Peugeot, which was parked in the carpark of the Telford Inn in Trevor.

Officers saw him pull out of a pub car park shortly before 4pm and was found to have 107 microgrammes of alcohol in his breath, compared to the legal limit of 35.

Defending solicitor Stephen Edwards said that the defendant was a man who had moved back to the Llangollen area 12 months ago after living and working in Jersey for the last 20 years.

He was in full time employment as a fork lift driver on the Ruabon Industrial Estate.

The defendant had decided to go to his local for a Christmas Eve meal and drink but “ended up staying a little longer than he thought”.

District Judge Gwyn Jones told him that with the benefit of hindsight it would have been better if he had walked home.

Whelan was banned from driving for 28 months and ordered to carry out 160 hours unpaid work and must pay £85 costs and a £90 surcharge.