A KITCHEN assistant caught drink driving said he was glad police pulled him over.

Ben Mayhew, of Harpers Estate, Nayland, was driving his Volkswagen Polo at 4.55am on October 6 when officers on routine patrol saw he was unable to stay in the lane markings.

They pulled him over and smelled drink on his breath. He gave a reading of 68mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood.

Mayhew, 23, represented himself at Colchester Magistrates' Court on Tuesday. The court heard he had been asleep since drinking the night before.

He said: "I'm very sorry it happened.

"I'm glad I learned the lesson this way rather than anyone being hurt. I am sorry for the inconvenience I have caused."

Magistrates disqualified him from driving for 18 months, fined him £225 and ordered him to pay £85 costs and a £30 victim surcharge.