Disqualified driver caught drinking port in 4x4

A disqualified driver told officers he had drunk "a couple of ports" when he was caught behind the wheel of a 4x4, a court heard.

Trevor Nex, of Baytree Farm in Watchfield, Somerset, was spotted with an open bottle of port in the vehicle's centre console on 29 November by police.

Nex, 43, pleaded guilty to drink-driving and driving while disqualified and was banned from driving for more than five years when he appeared at Taunton Magistrates' Court on 28 January.

Insp Matt Boiles, from Avon and Somerset Police's roads policing team, said Nex "can no longer put himself or others at risk of serious injury, or worse, through his utterly selfish actions".

During sentencing, Nex was also ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid work and pay nearly £200 in charges.

Nex was arrested at Hellings Cross, Bathealton, on 29 November after police received a report of a vehicle suspected to have been driven by a person under the influence of alcohol.

When officers arrived at the scene, they noticed a 4x4 parked and saw Nex get out of the driver seat and begin to walk off, the court was told.

Nex admitted to officers at the scene that he did not have a driving licence because of a previous ban, and when asked how much he had to drink, he replied: "Oh, I've had a couple of ports."

Nex admitted to driving a motor vehicle while above the alcohol limit, driving while disqualified, and for using a vehicle on a road without third party insurance at an earlier hearing at the court.

Boiles said: "This is an appalling case involving a man who was driving a large 4x4 under the influence of alcohol with an open bottle of port inside the cab of his vehicle, while he was disqualified."

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