A WOMAN stopped for driving erratically on a busy A road was found to be four and a half times over the legal drink drive limit.

Michelle Charlesworth, 49, of Ingramgate, Thirsk was stopped in her Mercedes-Benz on the A64 near Flaxton, near York by North Yorkshire Police at 9.30pm on Saturday, February 17, due to her erratic driving.

When asked to complete a roadside breath test, Charlesworth provided a reading of 158 micrograms of alcohol per 100 ml of breath - four and a half times the legal limit.

She was arrested and taken into custody, where she returned a further reading of 167 micrograms of alcohol per 100 ml of breath.

She appeared at Scarborough Magistrates Court on Tuesday, March 20 and pleaded guilty to drink driving.

Due to the high reading she returned and the serious nature of the offence, magistrates sentenced Charlesworth to 18 weeks in prison.

She was also banned from driving for 36 months, extended by nine weeks to take her custodial sentence into account and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £115.

Speaking about the sentence handed to Charlesworth, roads policing officer Traffic Constable Jamie Lord said;

"The reading of 167ug that Charlesworth returned that night is completely shocking.

"How anyone can get behind a wheel with that amount of alcohol in their system beggars belief.

"Michelle Charlesworth not only consumed a large amount of alcohol that evening and got behind the wheel, she also drove erratically along one of the busiest A roads in the region.

"It is only through sheer luck and the quick thinking of the member of the public who witnessed her driving and alerted us, that a serious collision was avoided.

"I hope the sentence handed to Charlesworth serves as a stark warning to those who think that they won't get caught or that they will only face a slap on the wrist and a fine - a prison sentence is a very real possibility, as this case clearly demonstrates."