FRIDAY the 13th proved to be unlucky for a Blackburn woman caught drinking and driving while talking on her mobile phone.

Blackburn magistrates heard that Julie Marie Pate, 40, of Witton Parade, Blackburn, missed a traffic light change as she chatted on her mobile phone, but caught the attention of a police officer.

The subsequent breathalyser result, in December, earned Pate a 12-month driving ban when she appeared in court.

The court heard that a test showed Pate had a blood alcohol level of 82 against the legal limit of 80.

Pate pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol, while disqualified and without insurance and failing to surrender to bail.

She was banned from driving for 12 months, given a conditional discharge for the same period and fined £130 with £30 costs.

Julie Reilly, prosecuting, said a police officer had pulled up at a red light at Darwen Street bridge. He looked across and saw Pate talking on a mobile phone.

"The lights turned to green but she didn't notice because she was talking on her mobile," said Mrs Reilly.

"The lights turned back to red and she still hadn't moved, so the officer indicated to her to pull over."

Pate gave a reading of 45 in in a breath test and took the option of giving a blood test, which proved to be marginally over the limit.

Andrew Church-Taylor, defending, said the failure to surrender had been due to Pate's volatile domestic circumstances. She had been in the process of an acrimonious split from her long-term partner and her mail was not being forwarded to her.

On the night of the offence, Pate had been for a drink after work and then gone home, he said.

"Later in the evening she received a call from a friend asking for a lift and she believed she would be under the limit at that time," said Mr Church-Taylor.

"That proved to be a costly if slight miscalculation."

He said the disqualification had been imposed in Pate's absence and, because of the problems with her mail, she had not been aware of it.