A CARE worker has been banned from the roads after drinking on a night out with friends before trying to drive home. 

Thanas Bezani admitted drink-driving when he appeared before magistrates in Hereford.

Bezani had been changing lanes without indicating in his Ford S-Max in Hereford's Edgar Street in the early hours of the morning on November 14 when he was pulled over by police, prosecutor Elizabeth Blacklock said.

The court heard Bezani, who had three passengers, said he had drunk three pints that evening, finishing his last drink some 30 minutes before driving.

He was arrested after failing a roadside breath test, and an evidential test in custody revealed he had 44 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millitres of breath. The legal limit is 35.

Chris Read, for Bezani, said the 34-year-old had travelled into Hereford with friends that evening.

"He obviously had drunk alcohol, but he says he had stopped drinking some time before," Mr Read said.

"He tells me it was about two hours and that he had also eaten since and felt he would be ok to drive. He was, of course, wrong, and the result was a reading of 44.

"He is a healthcare assistant at a care home near his home and will be able to walk to work."

Bezani, of Teme Street, Tenbury Wells, was disqualified from driving for 12 months and fined £350. He must also pay costs of £135 and a £35 victim surcharge.