Councillor lands drink-drive ban

Charteris has been banned from driving for a year

A councillor has been banned from the roads for 12 months and fined £500 after he admitted drink driving.

John Charteris, 67, of Cullivate, Locharbriggs, is a Conservative member of Dumfries and Galloway Council.

At Dumfries Sheriff Court, he admitted committing the offence, in Lochmaben on Sunday, after attending a barbecue.

He is the second Dumfries and Galloway councillor to receive a driving ban this year. The SNP's Robert Higgins was banned for two years in May.

Solicitor Roger Collidge told the court that Charteris - a former lieutenant colonel in the army - initially had two glasses of wine at the barbecue.

He stayed longer than intended and, after four hours, felt it would be alright to have another glass of wine.

Charteris was later stopped by police as he drove home, through Lochmaben.

Mr Collidge said it was a misjudgement by his client.

Charteris, who represents the council's Lochar ward, was the Tory candidate for the Dumfries constituency at the 2001 General Election, losing out to Labour's Russell Brown.

Earlier this year, Mr Higgins was given three concurrent bans of two years, after he admitted driving without due care and attention, failing to stop after an accident and failing to provide breath specimens to police.