A DRINK-driver who crashed his car then attempted to claim that it had been his girlfriend behind the wheel has been banned from driving.

Christopher Clarke clipped a kerb and span out of control into a hedge while driving his black BMW 3 series through Warndon Villages. Clarke, aged 20, of Water Croft, Long Meadow, Warndon, Worcester, admitted driving with excess alcohol when he appeared at Worcester Magistrates Court.

A breath test revealed 76mcg of alcohol in 100ml of breath – more than twice the drink drive limit of 35mcg. The accident happened at 9.45pm on Friday, October 9, at the junction of Hastings Drive and Corfe Avenue.

Clarke had driven home after drinking between five and seven cans of lager at a friend’s house.

Sarah Stock, prosecuting, said: “He struggled to get a grip on the road, which was wet, and this caused his vehicle to fish-tail and spin off the road into a hedge.” Mrs Stock said he was then seen by another driver to reverse back on to the main road, drive off in the direction of Woodgreen Drive, and then pull in at a bus stop because he noticed that part of the car was dragging on the road, getting out of the car to pull off the vehicle’s bumper.

Police who saw him talking on his mobile phone did not initially think he was involved but he was then seen by them later on, carrying the car bumper.

When he was approached by police, he said his girlfriend had been driving but later admitted it had been him.

Police went to her house but she told them that she did not have a driving licence and Clarke, who works as an apprentice for BMW, was then arrested.

Mark Turnbull, defending, said: “He has made a series of rather foolish decisions.

“He knew he had had a few drinks but felt OK to drive and made the short journey of around half-a-mile from his friend’s house.

“The most foolish element is that he gave the name of his girlfriend to police. He immediately realised that was a rather stupid thing to do because that could cause all sorts of problems for his girlfriend.”

Mr Turnbull said the driving ban could potentially cause him to lose his job and that Clarke had now parted from his girlfriend. The chairman of the bench, Richard Poppleton, passing sentence, said: “What you did was stupid and could have killed someone.”

Clarke was banned from driving for 16 months, fined £200 and ordered to pay costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £15.