A DROITWICH man who crashed his car after blacking out at the wheel had attempted to commit suicide just minutes before, a court heard.

Mark Griffiths drove to a lay-by on the A38 and drank a bottle of wine while he pumped exhaust fumes into his car.

When his suicide bid failed he drove off on the wrong side of the road, passed out and collided with another vehicle.

Appearing before Worcester magistrates the 32-year-old, of Friars Street, admitted driving with excess alcohol.

Abi Nixon, prosecuting, told the court that police were called to an accident on the A38, near Copcut, at 2.25am.

"The defendant was bleeding heavily from an injury to his head.

"He told police he had just attempted to commit suicide with the exhaust fumes from his car," she said.

"According to the other motorist the defendant had been driving on the wrong side of the road and they had almost collided head-on," she added.

A blood test revealed that Griffiths was more than twice the legal alcohol limit.

Louise Hooker, defending, told the court that the incident was totally out of character for the defendant.

"When he committed the offence he was not in a reasonable state of mind.

"He was suffering from stress - he had difficulties at work and was moving house.

"Everything got on top of him and he made the decision to take his own life," she said.

Magistrates heard that when the fumes did not take hold quick enough Griffiths decided to stop and drove off.

"He blacked out at the wheel and has no recollection of the accident itself," Miss Hooker said.

She told the court that Griffiths was diagnosed as suffering from acute stress.

He was banned from driving for two years and was fined £400 plus £60 costs.