POLICE were alerted by the wife of a man after he had driven off to work at a care home after drinking heavily the day before.

Officers found Neil Lancaster asleep fully clothed on a bed in an empty room at Milton House Care Home in Marton Road, Gargrave, heard Skipton Magistrates Court on Friday. They woke him up and asked if he was in need of help to which he declined.

With him in the room was a bottle of wine and a bottle of spirits. Both were empty. He was arrested and taken to Harrogate Police Station where he was found to have 86 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit for driving is 35.

Lancaster, 58, of Bank Newton, Gargrave, of previous good character, admitted drink driving. In mitigation, John Mewies said he had suffered increasingly poor mental health and had spent the majority of the weekend before the incident on November 14 drinking or asleep in bed.

His wife of 28 years had been concerned about his bizarre behaviour and his increasing dependence on alcohol and had woken early on November 14 to hear him driving off from the house. She found a note left in the house, and concerned about his state of mind, she had called the police.

Mr Mewies said Lancaster was located by police at the care home where he worked with an empty bottle of spirit and an empty bottle of wine; he was woken up by the officers, breathalysed, and taken to the police station in Harrogate.

It was a very sad case said Mr Mewies who added Lancaster was now receiving support from the mental health team. He was not expected to lose his job at the care home as even without his driving licence, he would be able to walk the short distance to work.

Magistrates told Lancaster they had listened carefully to all that had been said and acknowledged there had been a disparity in the higher alcohol reading originally included in the charge, which had been taken at the care home, and not at the police station, where evidential readings are routinely made. They also accepted there was clear indication of some mental health issues.

Lancaster was banned from driving for 18 months and fined £625. He was also ordered to pay costs of £85 and a surcharge of £250. If he completes a drink drivers rehabilitation course, his ban will be reduced by 18 weeks.