A SERVING soldier has been banned from the roads after he was caught drink-driving in a Hereford street.

Thomas Haynes appeared before magistrates in Hereford for sentencing in January after admitting one count of drink-driving when he appeared before magistrates in Hereford at an earlier hearing in November.

Prosecutor Mark Hambling said at the initial hearing that police had spotted 33-year-old Haynes driving a Ford Focus, which they said appeared to have a foreign object attached to one of its tyres in Hereford's Blackthorn Close at 11.30pm on October 27.

Officers followed the car and spoke to Haynes after he pulled up on his driveway before taking him to Hereford police station, where an evidential breath test revealed he had 48 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35 microgrammes.

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Chris Read, for Haynes, said the circumstances were somewhat troubling.

"He has pleaded guilty but we would wish to advance special reasons to avoid disqualification," Mr Read told magistrates at the hearing in November.

Mr Read said Haynes is a serving soldier and had suffered a recent injury while in service.

The case was adjourned and Haynes, who is of Hay Lease Crescent, Hereford, appeared before magistrates in Hereford for sentencing on January 30, where he was fined £553 and disqualified from driving for 36 months.

Magistrates said they had taken his guilty plea into account and offered him the opportunity to complete the drink-driving rehabilitation course, which will reduce his ban by 36 weeks if successfully completed.

He was also ordered to pay prosecution costs of £135 and a £221 victim surcharge.

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