Motorist banned after pushing his car to a petrol station while more than twice the limit

John Roberts, 52, also known as Keifer, was spotted parking up his Suzuki Liana motor at the Jet garage in Birtley on August 8.

Police were contacted by a witness, worried that Roberts was drunk, South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court heard.

Prosecutor Jonathan Hanratty said they arrived and viewed CCTV footage which showed him pushing the vehicle while holding the steering wheel.

He has now been disqualified from driving for two years but will be back on the roads earlier if he takes up the court's offer to sit a roads’ rehabilitation course.

Mr Hanratty said: “The police receive a call from a member of the public, concerned that a drunk male is pushing a car.

“Police attend the garage forecourt, and he has parked up. They smell alcohol and they carry out a roadside breath test.

“CCTV shows him pushing the car while steering the wheel. The defendant has no relevant previous convictions.”

The court heard Roberts had been convicted of a charge of drink-driving at an earlier hearing, which he did not attend.

But Paul Hanratty, defending, said Roberts had turned up for that hearing but had been turned away by court security staff who mistakenly believed he was drunk.

He added: “It was a medical issue. He feels a great injustice here. I think that he accepts that he relies on alcohol.”

Roberts told the court he was already working with drug and alcohol treatment services.

District Judge Kathryn Meek said she was aware of his sense of injustice over the judicial proceedings.

But she warned him he would be committing a criminal offence if he got behind the wheel before his disqualification ended.

As well as the driving ban, she made him subject to a 12-month community order, with a requirement of 25 days of rehabilitation work with the Probation Service.

Roberts, of Malvern Avenue, Chester-le-Street, was also fined £100 and must pay £300 court costs and a £95 victim surcharge.

Sitting a drink-driver rehabilitation programme could see his ban reduced by 24 weeks.

His breath test showed a reading of 93mcgs in 100mls of breath. The legal limit is 35mcgs.

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