Two-time drink driver given ban

Jason Duff had completed a rehabilitation course

A motorist has been banned from driving after being caught almost five times over the drink-drive limit just weeks after completing a previous ban.

Jason Duff, 35, from Falkirk, was banned for three years following the breach on Valentine's Day.

Falkirk Sheriff Court heard that Duff had been given a six-month reduction to his former two-year ban for completing a drink driver's rehabilitation course.

His latest ban has prompted criticism from road safety campaigners.

Just weeks after getting his licence back, Duff was found to have a breath alcohol reading of 152 micrograms in the early hours of 14 February.

The legal limit is 35 micrograms.

Police had stopped him after spotting his car at Bankside Avenue in Falkirk.

Given what the sheriff and his solicitor have said about him, three years is certainly inadequate Kevin Delaney IAM Motoring Trust

Stephen Biggam, defending, said his client had an alcohol problem which had got "the better of him".

He said: "He has been trying to engage with help through his GP but the support network is not there."

Sentencing Duff to a further three-year driving ban and a £400 fine, Sheriff Craig Caldwell said: "You were approximately five times the limit when you were found and you should not have been anywhere near the car given that you are a self-confessed alcoholic.

"You also had a previous conviction.

"It is clear that if you are allowed to drive in the future you will be a danger." Kevin Delaney, head of road safety at the IAM Motoring Trust, said Duff could have faced a maximum ban of 10 years.

He said: "Given what the sheriff and his solicitor have said about him, three years is certainly inadequate.

"Essentially what should happen to this guy is that he should not get his licence back until he can prove he is off the bottle."