A MAN who concerned about a vulnerable woman got into his car and drove a short way to find her was over the drink-drive limit, heard Skipton Magistrates Court.

Stephen Jordan, 54, admitted to police he had driven to where he was sitting on a grass verge at the roadside in Ingleton talking to the woman, even though he was not in the car at the time and could have denied it, saying he had drunk alcohol after driving, the court heard on Friday.

Jordan had been drinking in the pub across the road from where he lives on August 20 when a woman entered the pub, the court was told.

She appeared to be in a distressed state, had left the pub and then a man had come in looking for her.

Jordan told the court that the woman seemed very distressed, the man looking for her explained it had not been the first time, and he (Jordan) had been concerned for her safety.

After going home, he had looked on the village social media site and saw she had been seen sitting at the side of the A65.

"I jumped in the car and was sitting with her when the police arrived, " he said.

The court heard that police officers responding to a report of a vulnerable female in New Road, Ingleton found her and Jordan sitting on a grass verge at the side of the road. Jordan's stationary Volvo car was opposite.

They noticed that Jordan smelt of alcohol. He admitted he had been drinking wine earlier in the pub and after providing a positive roadside breath test, he was taken to the police station where he was found to have 42 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35.

Jordan, of previous good character, admitted drink driving and to his credit, even though he could have denied it.

He told the court he had just started an outside catering business which would be impacted by him losing his licence.

Magistrates told Jordan, of The Square, Ingleton, it had been a 'really unfortunate set of circumstances'.

He was banned from driving for 12 months, fined £80 and ordered to pay a surcharge of £32 and costs of £85. If he completes a drink drivers rehabilitation course, his ban will be reduced by three months.