A YOUTH worker drank seven pints of Stella Artois before getting behind the wheel of his car and rolling it in the early hours of the morning.

Bradley Pittway had been due to stay the night at a youth centre but there was no room for him.

So, despite an evening drinking the strong lager, the 23-year-old attempted to drive home in his Renault Clio.

He lost control of the car in Mersea Road, near to Abberton, at 12.50am on April 28, as the car flipped and landed on its side in a hedgerow.

Pittway admitted drink driving at Colchester Magistrates’ Court yesterday.

Emma Howson, prosecuting, said: “When police arrived, the defendant made himself known to them.

“He admitted he was the driver and the sole occupant of the vehicle.”

Pittway was asked to complete a roadside breath test, which came back positive.

The lowest reading on his test was 42mg of alcohol per 100ml of breath. The legal limit is 35mg.

Ms Howson added: “The defendant was interviewed and said he had consumed about seven pints of Stella Artois in the evening prior to driving his car.

“He was very apologetic and acknowledged he was wrong to drink and drive.”

Pittway, of Holm Oak, in Colchester, did not dispute any of the facts heard in court.

He told the court: “I was working at a youth centre.

“I thought I could drive home but I obviously couldn’t.”

Magistrates fined Pittway £200 with £115 in costs.

He was also disqualified from driving for a year.