A DRIVER was seriously injured in a crash that killed his dog, a court has heard.

Paul James Taylor admitted drink-driving when he appeared before Hereford Magistrates Court on October 7.

Police had been called to reports of a single-car crash on the A449 at Much Marcle on December 19, prosecutor Ralph Robyns Landricombe told the court.

"They found a seriously damaged BMW 730, and the driver said he had a dog in the car which had run off," Mr Robyns Landricombe said.

"Police said the car looked like it had rolled and sadly the dog was found dead as it had been ejected from the car."

Taylor failed a roadside breath test and was taken to hospital in Hereford, where an evidential blood test revealed he had 111 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood. The legal limit is 80.

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Emily Gourley, for Taylor, said the 49-year-old had shattered his elbows in an industrial accident at work in 2012 and had not been able to work since.

"He was paid compensation and had been living on that payment, but it has now run out," Mrs Gourley said.

"He was told he was going to lose his home as he could no longer afford to pay for it the night before the crash, and he drank four or five cans of lager to drown his sorrows.

The court heard Taylor, who is from Harvard Avenue, Honeybourne, had woken early and decided to visit his girlfriend, but had crashed on a bend after hitting a pool of water on the road.

Taylor, who suffered broken ribs and a punctured lung in the crash, was disqualified from driving for 12 months and fined £30. He must also pay costs of £60 and a £32 victim surcharge.