A 'FOOLISH' drink-driving student drove the wrong way down a dual carriageway in Worcester city centre, narrowly avoiding 'catastrophe'.

Student vet Lucy Harrison was more than twice the limit when she headed the wrong way along City Walls Road after a night quaffing wine with friends in Worcester's bars.

The 20-year-old, supported at court by her parents, had no previous convictions until she decided to drive her Fiat Seicento on Thursday, July 8 this year despite having been offered a lift home.

Officers tried to flag her down and raise the alarm as her driving forced another car to move out of the way to avoid a crash.

An evidential reading of 74mcg of alcohol per 100ml of breath was taken at Worcester Police Station - more than twice the limit of 35mcg.

Harrison of Murrells End, Suckley, near Worcester admitted driving with excess alcohol when she appeared before magistrates in Worcester on Monday.

Pauline Hirons, the chairman of the bench, said: "This was a foolish and regrettable mistake."

However, she also said the reading was high and there was the aggravating feature that 'you entered the dual carriageway in the wrong direction'.

"This could have been catastrophic for you and other road users" Mrs Hirons told her.

Liz Blacklock, prosecuting, said officers were driving along City Walls Road towards St Nicholas Street in Worcester when 'they saw headlights travelling towards them on the wrong side of the carriageway'.

Worcester News: GUILTY: Lucy Harrison

Miss Blacklock said a car had to move to avoid a collision. "Police tried to stop Miss Harrison's car but the vehicle continued to drive towards them. An officer did put his arm out to signal for her to stop. Having ignored the officer, she continued to drive the wrong way along the carriageway, past the marked car," she said.

However, eventually she did stop in the Cornmarket. There she failed a roadside breath test before the evidential reading was taken. The recommended length of the ban was between 17 and 22 months.

Her advocate handed up character references. Mr Thomas, defending, said: "Not only is she embarrassed by her behaviour, she is embarrassed because, at the back of court, are Mr and Mrs Harrison."

Explaining that she had been out with friends drinking and watching a football match, he said she had been drinking wine.

"She was offered a lift home and foolishly refused that offer of a lift and did make that decision to drive which she regrets enormously" he said.

Mr Thomas said the junction was 'confusing' and she was 'anxious and panicked' once she appreciated she had taken the wrong turn.

"She was fully co-operative with everything officers asked of her - fully co-operative at the roadside and fully co-operative at the police station" he said.

He also highlighted the absence of other aggravating features. For example, there was no-one else in the car with her.

The student vet at Harper Adams University is due to return to her course in two weeks and the loss of her licence would cause her 'huge difficulties in the year ahead'.

Magistrates banned her from driving for 20 months but did offer her the drink drivers rehabilitation course.

If completed successfully - and at her own expense - the course will shave 20 weeks off the length of her disqualification.

The bench fined her £120, ordered her to pay costs of £135 and ordered her to pay a statutory surcharge of £34.