A 20-YEAR-OLD motorist who ploughed over a central reservation while more than twice over the drink-drive limit has been banned from the road for two years despite claims that his drink could have been spiked.

Daniel Hunt was driving a Vauxhall Nova on the Coate Water roundabout in the early hours of November 20 last year.

It crossed the central reservation and careered out of control into on-coming traffic on Marlborough Road

When he appeared before Swindon magistrates he pleaded guilty to driving without due care and attention, driving without insurance and being over the drink-drive limit.

A breath test taken at the time revealed he had 77 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, more than twice the legal limit of 35 microgrammes.

Hunt, a kitchen fitter from Reynolds Close, Blackdan, in Basingstoke, had come to Swindon that night with three friends from the same area to visit the Brunel Rooms nightclub.

Prosecutor Lynne Henderson said: "A member of the public was driving towards the Coate Water roundabout when a car came across the central reservation into the path of his vehicle and narrowly missed him, meaning it was going the wrong way up the dual carriageway.

"The member of the public had to move his car to get out of the way.

"The offender's car then crossed over the central reservation again on to the right side of the carriageway, narrowly missing another vehicle.

"It then pulled up in a lay-by, where the occupants were seen trying to set light to the fuel tank before they fled.

"They were discovered, talking in an addled state in a field nearby, by police."

Philip Hall, defending, told the court that the young Basingstoke men were returning home after a night out and that Hunt claims to only have drunk three pints of lager during the whole evening.

"It's quite possible that his drink might have been spiked," Mr Hall said.

"They were trying to get back to Basingstoke and were in a strange town.

"As Hunt drove on to the Coate Water roundabout, he heard an ominous gurgling from one of his passengers who, quite frankly, was in a very wasted state.

"This, coupled with the other passengers saying that they thought they were going the wrong way, diverted Hunt's attention and meant that he missed the turn-off and ended up crossing the central reservation."

Magistrates banned Hunt from the roads for 24 months and fined him £775.

He was also ordered to pay £70 court costs.

He was told that if he completed a rehabilitation driving course the ban would be reduced by six months.

Jamie Hill