A PENSIONER crashed his car at a petrol station in Hereford after he had been drinking.

75-year-old George Cooper admitted drink-driving when he appeared before magistrates in Hereford on November 29.

Police were called to reports of a crash and a blue Skoda failing to stop at Tesco Express in Hereford's Ledbury Road at 3.55pm on November, prosecutor Owen Beale said.

The crash was witnessed by a young worker at the garage who said that she recognised him as he often went to the shop for dog and cat food and vodka. She saw him take a very wide turn into the forecourt, go up onto the curb and crash with a post.

Staff then went out to the car and had to bang on the windows to wake him up, as he was unconscious. 

Police came to the scene and breathalysed him, taking a reading of 85 microgrammes in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35.

In defence, the court heard that Cooper had stopped drinking at 4am the morning before the crash, and accepted he had been tired but did not realise he was over the limit. 

Cooper, of Highgrove Bank in Hereford, recognised that as the shop was close to his home, he should have just walked.

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The court heard that Cooper's alcohol consumption was "excessive", and that his wife's death had taken a toll on him. He had also suffered from a fractured hip and had problems with debt.

Cooper was disqualified from driving for 22 months with the option to complete a course to reduce the sentence. He was fined £300 and he must also pay costs of £135 and a £120 victim surcharge.

As he left the court, he addressed magistrates: "I must apologise for taking your time and thank you for your courtesy."