Driver was more than five times limit

The sheriff said she had “represented a significant danger to other road users”

A woman, caught driving on a country road with more than more than five times the legal booze limit, was told by a sheriff that she had “represented a significant danger to other road users.”

But pensioner Yvonne Brown narrowly escaped time behind bars, despite having a previous conviction for a similar offence, albeit more than 16 years ago.

The 62-year-old admitted driving with 117 microgrammes of alcohol on her breath - the maximum allowed is 22 - on December 7 last year.

Depute fiscal Michael Sweeney said police received a call from another member of the public that the accused’s vehicle had gone off the road about 1pm.

The accident happened on the unclassified road to Aldie, at its junction with the B977, at Powmill.

She was “smelling of alcohol” and told police that another vehicle had “caused her to swerve off the road.”

She failed a roadside breath test and further tests, taken at 3.20pm, gave the reading in the charge.

Solicitor Billy Somerville told the court: “She thought she was alright to drive but was certainly not.”

Sheriff Wood noted that she had driven from Glasgow that morning about 10am - and was still more than five times over the limit at almost 3.30pm.

He added: “I have given serious consideration as to whether you ought to go to prison because of the condition you were in.

“I am satisfied - just - that is not the only way this can be dealt with.”

He imposed a Community Payback Order which will see her complete 200 hours of unpaid work.

She was also put off the road for four years, with the ban backdated to December 9, when an interim disqualification was put in force.

Brown, of Aitken Road, Glenrothes, was given nine months to complete the work.

Given her “long-time problems with alcohol,” she will also be supervised by a social worker for 18 months.