A SINGLE mother who drove 50 yards down a road after an argument with her boyfriend appeared at North West Wiltshire Magistrates Court last Thursday, July18, after failing a breath test.

Judith Scanlan, 42, of High Street, Stourton, Warminster, was stopped by police at Pound Road, Sutton Veny, at 11.30pm on May 20.

A breath test proved positive and she pleaded guilty to the charge of driving whilst under the influence of alcohol.

The court heard that Scanlan was sobbing at the wheel when she was stopped.

Edward Moore, defending, said: "She is a lady of 42 with a clean driving licence and this was the result of a horrible combination of circumstances."

Mr Moore said that over the few days leading up to the incident she had been through a lot, including her ex-husband saying he wanted to see their 11-year-old child for the first time in three years.

He said that on the evening she was stopped by the police she had been to see her boyfriend in

Sutton Veny and as she had been drinking he offered to drive her home.

The car was parked near The Woolpack pub and as they were going to collect it an argument broke out and Scalan got into the car and drove off.

He said: "The distance travelled was probably only 50-70 yards. She stopped as soon as the blue lights came on.

"She was extremely upset by everything that had happened, she shouldn't have driven and she knows that."

He told the court that Scanlan relied on her driving licence for her job delivering food and for visiting her elderly mother, as well as taking her son to school.

He told the magistrates he knew she would be disqualified from driving but asked them to consider as short a term as they thought appropriate.

He said: "For her this disqualification is going to be shattering. She is already upset, because she knew she would be disqualified, cancelled her present contracts and is in receipt of benefits."

The case was adjourned for pre-sentence reports.

Scanlan was given an interim disqualification and granted unconditional bail.