A POLISH man has been banned from driving after he was caught drunk behind the wheel in a South Lakeland village.

Jacek Radota, 39, of Holme Mills Cottages, in Holme, was involved in a collision with a moped in Duke Street, also in Holme, when driving his black Audi A6 to the village shop after drinking two and a half litres of Polish beer, South lakeland Magistrates Court has heard.

Police attended the collision, on June 20, and subjected Radota to a breath test. He was found to have 58 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath - the legal limit is 35 microgrammes.

Peter Sharp, mitigating, said: “Mr Radota consumed the alcohol before driving a relatively short distance to the village shop to buy a top up card for a mobile phone. He said that he felt alright or he would not have driven.”

The court also heard that Radota, who works in Morecambe as a welder, was likely to lose his job if banned from driving.

Magistrates disqualified Radota from driving for 14 months, which he can reduce by 14 weeks if he completes a driver rehabilitation course.

He was also ordered to pay £360 fine, £60 costs and £15 victim surcharge.