A Filling station manager who overturned her car on an icy stretch of road has admitted driving whole over the alcohol limit, Skipton magistrates were told.

Julia Lister, 55, of Baynes Cottages, Low Bentham, was found to be two-and-a-half times the legal alcohol limit for driving after the road traffic collision which occurred on December 11 last year in Low Bentham Road, High Bentham.

Prosecuting Nadine Clough said police were called to a single road traffic collision at around 10.50pm that evening. The ambulance and fire service was already there.

The temperature was minus 6.5oC that evening though the roads had been gritted. It had snowed a little earlier and there was some snow around.

Lister had collided with a speed limit sign and her Kia Picanto car had ended upon on its side.

Lister was trapped in her vehicle but when freed by firefighters after around half an hour was found to be uninjured and was breathalysed at the roadside which proved positive.

She was arrested and taken to a police station where a breath analysis taken at 1.42am showed she had 87 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35 microgrammes.

Skipton magistrates heard the defendant was of a previous good character.

In mitigation, John Mewies said his client was a mother of three grown up children which she had brought up on her own after her husband left her 30 years ago and abrogated his responsibilities.

Mr Mewies said Lister had significant health issues and had suffered from depression for over 20 years.

"She is a manager at a petrol outlet in Settle and acknowledged her position was in jeopardy as it would be difficult for her to get to work from her home," Mr Mewies said.

He said on the weekend of the incident she hab been on her own and had foolishly sought some respite in alcohol.

"That evening she went to get some cigarettes from a shop in Bentham and decided to drive the short distance. She fell foul of the inclement weather, failed to observe the ice on the road and skidded and overturned her car.

"It has been a harrowing experience and a salutary lesson to her," he said.

Magistrates fined her a £419 and ordered she pay a surcharge of £168, costs of £85 and disqualified her from driving for 20 months.

She was offered the drink-drive rehabilitation course which if completed successfully would reduce her ban by 20 weeks.