A MOTORIST has been banned from driving after he drove towards a police car on the wrong side of the road in Welshpool.

Joshua Shaw, 24, was well over twice the legal drink drive limit when he was confronted by officers in Welshpool town centre at nearly 4am last month.

Shaw was driving a silver Volvo V40 on June 30, on Mill Lane, when a Dyfed Powys Police officer met him coming around a corner in a one-way system.

He entered a guilty plea to one charge of drink driving at Welshpool Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, July 16.

Prosecutor Rhian Jackson told magistrates the incident happened at around 3.40am on the A458.

“A section loops around in a one-way system; an officer was coming round a bend and was confronted head on by a silver Volvo coming from the opposite direction, which was contravening the one-way system,” she said.

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“The officer stopped the vehicle and spoke to the driver; he recognised him as one person he’d spoken to earlier in the evening. He noted he’d been drinking earlier.

“His eyes were glazed and he smelt of alcohol. A breath test was positive and he was arrested.”

Ms Jackson said Shaw, of Villa Close, Biddulph, near Stoke, was a man of previous clean character.

Shaw produced a reading of 91 micrograms of alcohol in breath – the legal limit is 35 micrograms.

Rob Hanratty, defending him, said unemployed Shaw had written a letter to each of the three magistrates and “recognises the potential seriousness of this offence”.

“He recognises that he created a danger to himself and others,” said Mr Hanratty.

“It was clearly a foolish decision to drive; he had a lift back to his dad’s organised.

“He acknowledges the seriousness of the offence and the scale.

“His dad is here in court and he would say this is entirely out of character for his son.”

He said Shaw had a full, clean licence.

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Due to the high reading, a pre-sentence report was ordered. Probation officer Julian Davies said: “The defendant had arranged to stay with his father in town. He went out at 7pm with a friend and consumed a lot of alcohol.

“His recollection of the night is not that clear. He stupidly, for some unknown reason, tried to drive his car.

“Had he realised how much he’d had to drink he said he would not have got in the car. He regrets his actions and says he will never do anything like this again.”

Mr Davies said Shaw was a gardener, but he had given up his job due to the impending driving ban.

Magistrates banned Shaw from driving for 23 months, but he can reduce this by completing a drink driving awareness course.

They also handed him a 12-month community order, with five rehabilitation activity days and 80 hours unpaid work.

He must also pay a £114 surcharge and £85 costs.