A retired hospital cardiologist has been banned from driving after being caught at almost twice the drink drive limit.

David Miles, 77, who retired from Airedale General Hospital in 1994, was reported to police after he was helped to his feet in a Skipton car park by a woman who then noticed he smelled of alcohol.

Miles, who suffered from drop syndrome, drove home to Meadowcroft, Draughton, where he drank a few gins, Skipton Magistrates heard.

Police traced him to his home address, breathalysed him and took him to the police station where he was found to have 101 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath.

A back calculation estimated that, at the time of driving, he would have had 66 microgrammes in his breath; the legal limit is 35.

Miles, who admitted drink-driving on December 9, was a keen player of the French Horn and had been in Skipton practising with a fellow musician.

In mitigation, John Mewies said Miles had accepted a pre-Christmas drink from his friend before walking back to his car.