A DISABLED drink-driver more than twice the legal limit had drunk alcohol before and after he got behind the wheel, a court was told.

Burnley magistrates heard how Terrence Allen Graves, 55, picked up a glass of Bacardi and Coke and drank it in front of police after they followed him to his home. He later gave two breath tests - the lower of which was 88 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35.

The defendant, of Hall Street, Colne, was fined £200 and banned for 12 months, after admitting driving with excess alcohol on March 12. He had no previous convictions and was of previous good character.

Carl Gaffney, prosecuting, told the court police followed the defendant after seeing him doing a manoeuvre that caused them concern.

Graves stopped outside his home and police tried to speak to him but he was reluctant and officers became suspicious.

The defendant went into his house, picked up a glass of alcohol about threequarters full and was told by an officer not to drink it. He gave a positive breath test and was arrested.

Mr Gaffney said the Crown was unable to say what impact the alcohol in the glass had on the breath-test reading and could not say Graves drank it deliberately to affect the result.