A SUFFOLK police sergeant convicted of drink driving has resigned following a disciplinary hearing.Sgt Ian "Tex" Abery, based at Ipswich Police Station, was banned from driving for 30 months and sentenced to 180 hours community service last month, after he admitted drink driving.

A SUFFOLK police sergeant convicted of drink driving has resigned following a disciplinary hearing.

Sgt Ian "Tex" Abery, based at Ipswich Police Station, was banned from driving for 30 months and sentenced to 180 hours community service last month, after he admitted drink driving.

Mr Abery, 44, who served with Suffolk Constabulary for 18 years, was more than three times the legal limit when he got behind the wheel of a police vehicle and drove through the centre of Ipswich in August this year.

A Suffolk Constabulary spokeswoman, said: "We can confirm that a misconduct hearing was held at Suffolk police headquarters on Friday, October 19.

"As a result of this hearing a police officer has resigned. No further information will be given regarding this matter."

Mr Abery, who live in Sproughton Road, Ipswich, declined to comment on the hearing or his resignation.

His downfall came when he was set out on an emergency call in the town at about 3.20pm on August 28.

Another officer who was with Mr Abery noticed he was driving in a great hurry without his sirens on and as result caused other drivers to brake sharply at Civic Drive roundabout.

The other officer noticed Mr Abery was slurring his words and looked vacant. Mr Abery was keeping too close to the kerb and when the pair got back to the police station, the other officer approached a senior officer and told him of his concern. As a result the senior officers saw the sergeant.

A breath test showed Mr Abery had 121 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath - the legal limit is 35 micrograms.

At last month's court hearing magistrates were told that Mr Abery had been drinking the night before the day of the incident, and then "topped up slightly" at work. The reason he drank was because he was depressed.

He had been faced with "stress upon stress" since an "horrendous incident" in 1992, which was not disclosed. He did not recognise what was happening and the problems were swept under the carpet and he did not have help from other sources.