A SKIPTON woman who was struggling to cope with the restraints of lockdown due to restrictions surrounding the coronavirus pandemic has admitted being over twice the drink-driving limit.

Gillian Rushworth, 70, of Glynwed Court, appeared before magistrates in Skipton after crashing her Renault Twingo into another car in Carleton Road, Skipton, on Saturday, May 2 this year.

Prosecuting, Melanie Ibbotson said police were asked to attend a road traffic collision in the town at around 5pm.

“Officers attended in Carleton Road and noted the defendant had collided with another vehicle.

“A member of the public had contacted the police and taken her vehicle keys from her. Mrs Rushworth was the only person in her vehicle,” said Mrs Ibbotson.

She added that the defendant had immediately told officers she had been involved in an accident and a roadside breath test proved positive.

An error with the breathalyser machine in Harrogate required Rushworth to provide a sample of blood.

The sample returned a reading of 167 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood.

The legal limit is 80 milligrammes.

Representing herself in court, Rushworth told the bench she was a recovering alcoholic.

She said she had lost her husband two years ago and was struggling to cope with lockdown at the time of the offence.

She said she had run out of drink and gone out to buy some. She hadn’t eaten.

She added that she had not had a drink since the incident happened and that she taken the opportunity and ‘sorted herself out’.

Magistrates were told it was her first offence and she had pleaded guilty at the first opportunity.

She was of previous good character and was remorseful of the situation she found herself in.

Rushworth was disqualified from driving for 20 months, was fined £120 and ordered to pay a surcharge of £34 and court costs of £85.

She was also offered the chance to take the drink-driving rehabilitation course which, if completed successfully, would reduce her disqualification by 20weeks.