A Shropshire trucker was two times over the drink-drive limit when …

Carl Hodson, 55, of Whitchurch, was spotted attempting to reverse the lorry tractor while its wheels were spinning in mid-air at the Milford Haven marina in Pembrokeshire, Wales. On Tuesday, Haverfordwest Magistrates Court heard that a witness saw the Scania lorry cab crash through a barrier and come to a stop with some of its wheels suspended in the air at around 11.40pm on November 18 last year. Late that night, the witness called the cops.

The court heard that Hodson was drunk in his opinion. "He observed the driver partially fall out of the cab, then climb back into the lorry," said prosecutor Mrs Sian Vaughan. He saw the man start the lorry and try to reverse, but the wheels spun."

Mrs Vaughan said Hodson remained in the cab until the police arrived and admitted to them that he had "had too much to drink." His blood was tested for drugs and alcohol, and the result was 175ml of alcohol per 100ml of blood. The legal limit is 80 milligrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood.

Hodson, formerly of Darwin in Whitchurch, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to driving under the influence of alcohol. Mr David Williams, Hodson's defence attorney in court, stated that the defendant, a professional lorry driver, was being "pursued" by the HMRC at the time of the offence. Mr Williams stated that he "accepts that what he did was... potentially extremely dangerous."

"It has caused him great shame, and it has caused his family great anguish." He stated that Hodson intends to relocate to Latvia to live and work and that he is already "personally responsible" for the "substantial" costs of vehicle and dock repairs. The magistrates, presided over by Linda Harrison, imposed a GBP475 fine, a GBP190 surcharge, and GBP85 in prosecution costs, totalling GBP750.

He was also barred from driving for 22 months, a ban that will be enforced in Latvia as well.