A SINGER who was unaware she was over the limit as she drove home from a performance in Cheltenham has been banned for a year.

"True lady" Maria Moll was pulled over after being dropped off in Worcester's Crown East by her accompanist to make the rest of the journey home to the city's Dines Green.

She had left her car there earlier to save him the trouble of finding his way through the "maze" of her estate.

But the 49-year-old underestimated the amount of wine she had consumed at the Pump Room's post-concert dinner and was arrested.

A roadside test showed she had 57mcgs of alcohol in 100mls of breath. The legal limit is 35mcgs.

John Barnett, prosecuting, said PC Darren Ball saw Moll's Rover 200 "speeding" towards Dines Green from the direction of Bromyard at 12.30am on Friday, December 14.

After pulling her over, he smelled drink on her breath and conducted a test before taking her to Worcester police station.

Charles Hamer, defending, hailed Moll, who has no previous convictions, as a "true lady" of good character who had been deeply pained by the proceedings.

"On the night of December 14, she was singing at the Pump Room in Cheltenham and, as her accompanist did not know where she lived and she did not want him to get lost in the 'maze' of Dines Green, she left her car at Crown East," he said.

"The concert went very well and at the after-show dinner she was a celebrity.

"She consumed some wine, but when she was dropped off at her car, she gave no thought to whether she might be over the limit.

"Being arrested was a very traumatic experience for her, but she said she was treated with great courtesy by officers."

Moll, of Marlow Road, the holder of a clean licence, admitted driving with excess alcohol.

Mr Hamer urged magistrates to bear in mind Moll's circumstances before determining the length of her disqualification.

"She has been a security officer for five years and fears the loss of her licence will result in the loss of her job," he said.

"Her father and stepmother also rely on her to get around. He has Alzheimer's and she has had a stroke and suffers from diabetes and ME."

Magistrates disqualified Moll for a year, and fined her £200 with £55 costs.