A MAN caught drink driving for the third time has been banned from the roads for three years.

Adam Arthur, 26, was more than triple the drink drive limit when he was stopped by officers on Allan Street, Darlington, just before 1am on November 25.

Darlington Magistrates’ Court heard today (Tuesday, December 18) that Arthur had 107mg of alcohol in his breath when tested by officers – the legal limit is 35mg.

He pleaded guilty to drink driving in court last week and returned for sentence following a report from the probation service.

The court heard that in the run up to the incident, Arthur had lost his job as a car valet due to poor health.

Mitigating, Stephen Andrews said Arthur suffered from muscular dystrophy and a heart condition and “used alcohol to deal with what is a very difficult situation for him”.

He added: “The aggravating feature is that it is his third offence.”

Mo Sibert of the probation service recommended a supervision order to help Arthur with his problems, which included a £6,500 debt resulting from the use of payday loans to fund his car insurance.

Magistrates agreed, imposing a nine-month supervision order and disqualifying Arthur from driving for 36-months.

He was also ordered to pay a £60 victim surcharge and given the chance to reduce the driving ban by nine months upon completion of a drivers’ rehabilitation course.