A WOMAN who flipped her car in County Durham after spotting a small animal on the road has admitted drink driving.

Police were called to the A688 between Thinford and Metal Bridge at 3.50am where they discovered Alice Kylie Turner near her Ford Focus which ended up on its roof with a smashed windscreen.

A road side breath test revealed the 29-year-old had 61 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35.

In an interview, she told officers she was driving along the road on April 24 when an animal ran out in front of her.

Peter Hamill, mitigating, said Turner had gone out the previous night for a friend's birthday and had not intended on drinking.

He said although she did consume alcohol she attempted to space her drinks out and left when she thought she would be under the limit.

Newton Aycliffe Magistrates today (May 19) heard that the defendant had no previous convictions and was in receipt of sick pay.

Turner, of Holderness, Newton Aycliffe, was disqualified from driving for 17 months, fined £120 and ordered to pay £85 prosecution costs and a £30 victim surcharge.