A DRINK driver who crashed off the road near Gargrave has been banned from driving for 40 months after magistrates heard it was his second drink driving offence.

Philip Lee, 30, drove his Citroen car off the A65, over a kerb, through a hedge and into road signs and a wall, at around 6pm on February 17, heard Skipton Magistrates' Court.

He had earlier been seen driving at excess speed, the court heard. A witness rang emergency services, and police, paramedics and fire fighters all attended.

He was taken to hospital, where a blood test revealed he had 168 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 microgrammes of blood, the legal limit is 80.

Lee, of Jubilee Close, Skipton, had a previous conviction for drink driving in 2010, the court heard, when he was banned for 14 months.

He admitted drink driving and was banned from driving for a further 40 months, fined £120 and ordered to pay costs of £85 and surcharge of £20.

The court heard in mitigation that he had been feeling down at the time and had been attempting to cheer himself up. He had been drinking before driving to Gargrave where he had gone to a pub and drank some more before driving off.