Bobby Greaves, 28, drowned his sorrows with a couple of pints of lager but drove after the woman phoned him to ask for a lift.

But by the time Greaves, 28, of Shinwell Terrace, Seaham, arrived, she had left in a taxi, South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court heard.

As he drove home on the A1018 at Ryhope, Sunderland, soon afterwards, he was pulled over by police for not having a valid MOT certificate.

A breath test on Sunday, February 26, put the dad over the limit, his second drink-drive offence in two years, prosecutor Rob Lawson said.

Magistrates banned him from driving for 40 months and scolding him for not learning the lessons from his first disqualification.

Mr Lawson said: “Police officers were on mobile patrol and making their way from Ryhope to Seaham.

“Their attention was drawn to a VW Tiguan, which was travelling in excess of the speed limit and moving from side to side.

“They activated their sirens, and then asked Mr Greaves to step into the back of their car.

“The officers could smell alcohol, and he was also slurring his words. A breath test was positive.”

Greaves pleaded guilty to drink driving. He gave a reading of 52mcg of alcohol in breath. The legal limit is 35mcg.

Nick Moore, defending, said: “He was pulled over because his MOT had run out, he was completely oblivious.

“He’d found out a couple of days earlier that his partner, the mother of his two children, had been unfaithful.

“He’d been out for a couple of pints when he got a call from her to pick her up.

“When he got there, she had already got a taxi. He feels he’s lost everything in one week.

“His family has broken down and he will now lose his licence. He’s mentioned to me that if it wasn’t for his children, he probably wouldn’t be here.

“He has been in the navy, and he is looking to get back to that, but he feels a bit in limbo.”

Greaves was also fined £120, with £85 court costs and a £48 victim surcharge.

Former sailor banned from driving after drowning his sorrows