A DRUNK motorist who drove the wrong way on a busy dual carriageway after crashing into a lorry was banned from driving for three years yesterday.

Sandra Summers, 47, from Richmond, North Yorkshire, appeared before magistrates, in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, about the incident, which took place on Thursday, June 9.

The court heard that Summers, of Hallgarth Court, who admitted drink-driving, had missed her sliproad on the A66 in Teesdale and was driving on a grassed area when her Mazda hit a lorry at 8.45am at the Rokeby junction, near Barnard Castle.

She drove away from the scene on the wrong side of the road for about a mile towards Cumbria, failing to stop for police, before rejoining the correct lane. She was stopped near Bowes Moor after two lorry drivers helped to bring the car to a halt.

Police officers described Summers as looking glazed and smelling of alcohol.

She had 139mg of alcohol in 100ml of breath. The legal limit is 35mg.

Chris Bunting, in mitigation, said Summers, who has no previous convictions, had suffered a family bereavement the previous day and had been drinking wine during the night because she could not sleep.

Mr Bunting said: “She is absolutely horrified by what she has done and is thoroughly ashamed of herself.

“Everything on this occasion is entirely out of character for her. She is extremely hard-working.

“They do not keep alcohol in the house and she only enjoys a glass of wine with a meal whilst on holiday, but she had bought this from a neighbour.

“She had been drinking over the course of the early hours, but felt that she still had to go to work to keep things going.

“Clearly she was not thinking straight. It would seem that she had been operating at the end of her emotional tether for quite some time.”

Magistrates imposed a 12- week jail sentence, suspended for two years, with a 28-day curfew requirement from 9pm to 6am.

She was banned from driving for three years.