A TEENAGE drink-driver was caught out by police as he moved his car after being given two parking tickets.

Harry Dinsdale, 19, committed his first ever criminal offence while behind the wheel of a BMW M Sport vehicle in the village of Shap on July 6.

“Police were stationary on Main Street,” prosecutor Jackie Partington told Carlisle Magistrates’ Court. “They witnessed a vehicle being driven by Mr Dinsdale on the wrong side of the road.

“For that reason they pulled the vehicle over.  They spoke to Mr Dinsdale who, in their opinion, appeared intoxicated.”

The teen failed a breath test and was taken into custody where an evidential sample showed 52 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35mcg.

A young man with no previous convictions, he admitted a drink-driving charge.

Defence solicitor Jeff Smith said Dinsdale had gone to a public house. He learned he had been given one penalty ticket and then — a short time later — a second. He then decided to move the vehicle a very short distance to avoid being given more fixed penalty charges.

“It wasn’t planned driving,” said Mr Smith. “It was almost, to an extent, brought about by the enthusiasm of a traffic warden. He accepts that provides him with mitigation but not a defence.”

A driving ban was likely to have a significant impact on the employment of Dinsdale, who worked on the farm of his grandparents — both aged in their 80s. “He tells me he is the primary driver,” said Mr Smith.

Dinsdale, of High Field, Morland, was fined £250 and banned from driving for a year with immediate effect" He accepted the offer of a rehabilitation course which, if completed, will reduce the length of his disqualification by 12 weeks.

District Judge John Temperley said he was keeping the ban length to the mandatory minimum after taking into account all submissions. He told Dinsdale: “I suspect that you will have learned a big lesson from this.”