A MAN was caught behind the wheel smelling strongly of alcohol with suspected urine on his trousers after an off-duty police officer raised the alarm, a court heard.

Colchester Magistrates’ Court heard the off-duty officer spotted a car travelling with its hazard lights on at a speed of 40mph in a 70mph zone.

He witnessed the car swerve across two lanes on the A12, the court heard.

Priscilla Afful-Mensah, prosecuting, said: “Due to the off duty police officer suspecting he was under the influence of alcohol he called 999.

“He followed the car off the A12, the car then went round the roundabout multiple times before it exited.”

The court heard the officer lost sight of the vehicle, but on-duty officers later found the vehicle sitting on a kerbside in Stanway.

Olasunkanni Daramola, 40, was allegedly at the wheel, with the officers reporting a “strong” smell of alcohol and a wet patch on his trousers indicating he had urinated himself.

A breath test conducted at Colchester police station recorded 100mcg of alcohol in 100ml of breath. The legal limit is 35mcg.

Appearing before magistrates yesterday, Daramola, of Cheetah Chase, Stanway, denied one count of drink driving.

Richard Berman, defending, said police typically request two specimens of breath for analysis, but in his client’s case there had been a 15 minute interval between the two tests.

He said: “This potentially raises a question about the procedure. It is unusual.”

Mr Berman also requested any footage of the procedure being carried out at the station.

Magistrates released Daramola on unconditional bail until a trial at the same court on September 22.