A MAN was disqualified for 42 months after he committed his fourth drink driving offence in a decade.

Nicholas Stansfield, of Southfield in Hebden Bridge, was almost three times over the limit (95 micrograms per 100 millilitres of breath) when he crashed his van on January 27 of this year.

The 55-year-old admitted that "alcohol is the bane of his life" after it had ruined the relationships with his three children in the past. He also labelled himself an "idiot" for his behaviour.

Yesterday Bradford Magistrates Court heard how the self-employed bricklayer, turned to booze, after over a year off it, following a problem at work.

His initial intentions were not to drive but then he remembered he had tools in the van, so decided to move it, with a passenger by his side, down Smithwell Lane.

It was then when he grazed a wall in the collision which led to the police attending the scene. No damage was caused to the van or wall.

Stansfield, who attended the court with his partner, works every day and looks after farm animals, including sheep, ducks and chickens, in his spare time.

Probation told the court how Stansfield had had an alcohol issue for some time but now he does not want to drink and has not since the incident, losing two stones in the process.

The magistrates could not escape the fact that this was a "serious offence" and a "high reading".

Stansfield was issued a 12-month community order and has to do 80 hours of unpaid work in the next year.

He must also pay £85 in court costs and a £95 victim surcharge.