A woman has been banned from the road for 17 months after pleading guilty to drink driving just two weeks after passing her test.

Toma Stakutyte, 20, of Tollemache Walk, Felixstowe, pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol at South East Suffolk Magistrates’ Court yesterday.

Prosecuting, Colette Harper said at around 2am on April 8, a police officer spotted a grey Peugeot driving west along Cliff Road in Felixstowe with its interior light on in the opposite direction to a number of bars and pubs.

The court heard the police officer had seen the car swerving in the road so put on the blue lights and pulled it over near an amusement arcade in Sea Road.

After failing a roadside breath test, Stakutyte was arrested and taken to a police station where she was tested again.

Her lowest recorded test was 67 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath.

The legal limit is 35 micrograms per 100 millilitres.

When interviewed by officers, Stakutyte admitted she had consumed three glasses of wine.

In mitigation, Mahtab Aziz said Stakutyte had argued with her boyfriend on the day of the offence and had been invited out by friends to take her mind off it.

He said losing her licence would mean she should also lose her job.

“She does have full-time employment which she will have to give up as it is far away.

“On the day in question she had a falling out with her boyfriend and at the time one of her friends called up and asked whether she would like to go out for a little while to get over the argument.

“Because she was feeling quite depressed, she decided to go out with her friends to a local social club a mile away from her home.

“She is a newly-qualified driver and had just passed her test two weeks before.

“In terms of punishment, she will effectively be out of a job.

“She has never been in any trouble with the police before and is extremely remorseful of her actions.”

Presiding magistrate Robert Saunders said the bench had no option but to disqualify her.

She was banned from driving for 17 months, reduced by 17 weeks on completion of an alcohol awareness course.

She was also fined £260, made to pay £85 in costs and a £30 victim surcharge.