AN uninsured drink driver five times the limit has been spared immediate jail after a court heard he had sought help with his alcohol problem.

Joiner Gareth Bentley, 29, was caught in Waterfoot at about 5.20pm, after police saw his car had damage to the offside bumper.

Checks revealed Bentley, who had a previous conviction for drink driving, was not insured and officers noticed his breath smelled of drink.

Burnley magistrates heard how the defendant gave a breath test which revealed 174 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath – the legal limit is 35.

Sentencing guidelines for drink driving went up to a reading of 150, meaning he was “off the scale” when it came to deciding the penalty.

Bentley, of Osborne Terrace, Stacksteads, admitted drink driving in Wales Road, on May 11, and having no insurance.

He was sentenced to eight weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months, with 12 months’ supervision and the drink-impaired drivers’ progra-mme.

He was banned for three years and must pay £50 costs.

The chairman told the defendant it was an “incredibly high reading”.

He added: “None of us has ever come across it before. You had a passenger in the vehicle and were a very high risk to other road users."

Andrew Robinson, prosecuting, told the court police asked the defendant if he had had a drink and he said he had not.

He gave a positive roadside breath test and was taken to the police station. Bentley had committed a similar offence in 2000.

Gareth Jones, defending, said Bentley had had an alcohol problem for some time. He had begun drink-ing when he was 15.

The defendant had found his father dead in the lounge when he was 18, had suffered depression, and had spiralled into drink.

That had got worse when he found his long-term girlfriend had been cheating.

He got more depressed, his doctor put him on valium and it did not help.

Mr Jones said the defendant committed the offence when he received a call from his ex-partner asking him if he would collect her from work.

The solicitor said: “Gareth Bentley, in an attempt to ingratiate himself back again into the relationship, made the decision to go and pick her up.

"It was a very silly decision and he is extremely lucky nobody else was involved in this.”

Mr Jones added that Bentley had been to Addic-tion Dependency Solutions for help.