CONVICTED drink driver, Wyre Forest district councillor Susan Meekings, has been banned from driving for three years, sentenced to 120 hours of unpaid community work and ordered to undergo alcohol counselling.

Fighting back the tears as she left Kidderminster Magistrates Court, Meekings said her political life was in ruins after being dealt her second lengthy ban for drink-driving in less than five years.

The Oldington and Foley Park representative was suspended by the council's ruling Conservative group and Conservative Association after she was was charged with driving with excess alcohol on August 15, being almost two-and-a-half times over the legal limit.

She was arrested after driving her car while under the influence of alcohol a short distance along a driveway to the garage of her executive Kidderminster home in The Croft.

“The party won't have me back after this, no party would have me. My political life is over and I feel terrible about that.

"I can't help the community any more," said Meekings, aged 49, who was elected as a Tory councillor in 2003.

She was found guilty of driving with 119 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath by the town's magistrates last month, given an interim driving ban and ordered back for sentencing today.

Meekings is now considering appealing against the conviction because she believed the driveway was private, although the court ruled it was a public road.

She said she had consumed three or four drinks at the Summer Road home of Terrence Sparks who had driven her back to The Croft in her car, leaving her to take it up the driveway when a neighbour reported her to the police.

Meekings told the court she had not wanted her partner to know she had been with Mr Sparks because there had been an “incident” between the two men some time ago and she wanted to avoid any conflict.

A submission the short distance driven by Meekings was a special reason for not banning her from driving was rejected by magistrates who told her she must complete a drink impaired drivers' programme as part of the 12-month community order imposed and pay £827 court costs within 28 days.

She agreed to a court offer to undertake a drink-driving rehabilitation course which will reduce her disqualification by a quarter.