IPSWICH: Two drivers are today banned from the road after admitting getting behind the wheel while under the influence of alcohol.

IPSWICH: Two drivers are today banned from the road after admitting getting behind the wheel while under the influence of alcohol.

Jonathan Schofield and Kirsty Nash appeared at South East Suffolk Magistrates' Court yesterday and both pleaded guilty to drink drive charges.

Schofield, 35, of Kemball Street, Ipswich, crashed his car into a bus stop post in Norwich Road on December 14.

Gareth Davies, prosecuting, said: “Police officers were flagged down by a group of people around 50 yards from St Matthew's roundabout.”

Schofield was found to have 58microgrammes of alcohol in 100mililitres of breath - the legal limit is 35microgrammes.

He told the court: “I had been drinking during the day but I had a sleep in the afternoon.

“I had one more beer in the evening and I felt fine. Later I had a call from a friend who was afraid she was going to be beaten up.

“I took an hour to consider the situation, had a coffee and I felt fine.

“I don't remember the car skidding. I'm glad no one was on the pavement and no other vehicles were involved.”

Schofield was disqualified from driving for 16 months, fined �100 and ordered to pay costs of �40.

Nash, 30, was stopped by police in Tuddenham Road while more than twice the legal limit at around 1.30am on December 16.

Mr Davies said officers saw the defendant driving in the middle of the road in Christchurch Street “at what they perceived to be excessive speed”.

“Officers tried to administer the breath test but she explained she had asthma and felt she couldn't manage it,” he told the court. “She had a go but failed.”

Nash, of Tuddenham Road, Ipswich, was later found to have 85microgrammes of alcohol in 100mililitres of breath.

She was fined �180 and ordered to pay court costs of �85 and a �15 victim surcharge, a government levy which is paid into a fund to help victims of crime.

She was also disqualified from driving for 20 months, but agreed to take a drink drivers' rehabilitation course to try to reduce the sentence.

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