A YOUNG dad who was over twice the drink drive limit went out in his car to cool off after a row.

Burnley magistrates heard how Simon Andrew Jackson, 23, had lost his job as a mechanic after earlier being given an interim driving ban, but was now working again

Jackson, of Parker Street, Nelson, admitted driving with excess alcohol on December 19.

He was fined £125, with £55 costs and banned from driving for 18 months.

The court heard how shortly after 1am, police saw the defendant was seen driving a car in Burnley.

When officers spoke to him, they could smell alcohol and asked if he had been drinking.

Jackson said he had drunk a pint of lager the night before and a roadside breath test proved positive.

He was taken to the police station, where the lowest of two breath samples revealed 78 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath -- the legal limit is 35.

Richard Taylor, defending, said Jackson pleaded guilty at the first opportunity, co-operated with police and had never come before the courts before.

The defendant lived with his girlfriend and young child and had been a mechanic until he lost that job because of the interim driving ban imposed earlier by the court.

On the night before the offence, Jackson and his girlfriend had argued and rather than continue, he went outside to cool off and then thought he would drive his car to calm down.

Mr Taylor went on: "In hindsight it was foolish.

"He is somewhat upset and embarrassed and asks the court to keep any period of disqualification as short as it can."