DRINK-DRIVER Anthony Hope was banned from driving for 20 months on Thursday his 51st birthday.

Hope, of Queensway, Warminster, was stopped on April 22 when police spotted him leaving the Fox and Hounds pub in Deverill Road.

He was breathalysed in East Street and later taken to Melksham police station where he was found to have 69 mg of alcohol in 100 mg of breath, nearly double the legal limit.

Representing himself, the lorry driver said he had lost his job that day and had to return his keys to a colleague in the pub.

He said: "I have no excuses, I had been working as a lorry driver until the evening. I received a phone call at 6pm telling me I had been made redundant." Hope said he had drunk a pint of lager at lunchtime and two pints in the evening. He apologised for his actions and said he was not a habitual drink-driver.

Magistrate Jane Fitzgerald ordered the 20-month ban but said Hope could reduce it by completing a drink-driving rehabilitation course. He was also fined £250 and told to pay costs of £35.