A 46-year-old woman from Hove has been from the roads for three years after being caught drink driving for a second time in two months.
Sally Crockford, of Hallyburton Road, Hove, was first seen driving on the wrong side of the A27 at Firle, Sussex Police said.
She was weaving across the carriageway as she headed westbound towards Brighton at 4.40pm on Saturday 1 November.
The force said that she did not seem to see the officers in a marked police car with its flashing lights and siren indicating for her to stop.
But eventually she turned off the A27 into Lewes Road at Brighton and was arrested.
She had 94 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of her breath when she was breathalysed – more than two and a half times the legal limit of 35 micrograms.
She was charged with drink driving and released on bail to appear in court on Thursday 8 January.
But at 10.25am on Monday (29 December) officers were called after Crockford was seen slumped at the wheel of her car as it swerved across the carriageway in King’s Road, Brighton.
Other drivers were forced to take action to avoid her.
Officers found her getting out of her car in Rothbury Road, Hove. She was unsteady on her feet and slurring her words.
When she was breathalysed she had 135 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of her breath – almost four times the legal limit.
Crockford was charged with drink driving and remanded in custody to appear at Brighton Magistrates’ Court yesterday (Tuesday 30 December).
She pleaded guilty to both charges of drink driving and was banned from driving for three years.
She was also ordered to go on an alcohol treatment programme, complete 150 hours of community service and pay £170 costs and a £60 victim surcharge.
Chief Inspector Phil Nicholas said: “Crockford has admitted that she needs help with her alcohol problem and hopefully the court order will mean that she gets that support.
“Her driving put herself and other road users in real danger. It was only through luck that she did not cause a serious accident as she clearly was not in control of her car while she was driving.
“Drink driving is totally unacceptable and we will continue to look for and arrest anyone putting others at risk on the roads.
“I would urge anyone who sees someone whose driving they are concerned about to contact us immediately so that we can act.”
She is one of ten people to have been convicted of offences so far during this month’s drink and drug driving campaign in Sussex.
And 108 drivers have been charged, including Thomas Fox, 37, who was arrested at 6.20pm on Sunday (28 December) after a car hit a bollard at The Broadway in Brighton.
Fox, of Wiston Road, Whitehawk, was charged with drink driving, having cocaine and failing to stop after an accident. He was released on bail to appear at Brighton Magistrates’ Court on Friday 20 February.
