LYNDA Micallef's driving was so slow that traffic police thought her car was stationary, Swindon Magistrates Court was told.

On Friday, the 54-year-old, of Birdcombe Road, Westlea, admitted failing to provide a specimen of breath to police after they stopped her.

Her Vauxhall Nova was spotted when they saw another driver braking twice before overtaking in Tewkesbury Way on the evening of New Year's Day.

Marion Langford, prosecuting, said the officers saw her car weaving all over the road. It was moving at between 5mph and 15mph.

When they stopped her they smelled alcohol on her breath and asked her to take a roadside breath test. She made five weak attempts to blow into the machine before a sixth gave a positive result, said Ms Langford.

Attempts to get another reading at the police station failed and Micallef walked away saying she couldn't be bothered with it.

Only partial readings could be obtained but one of these showed she was more than four times over the legal drink-drive limit. A level of 143 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath was recorded and the legal limit is 35.

Stephen Weighell, for Micallef, said she was suffering considerable mental health problems and had been off work for two months.

She was taking beta-blockers and had attempted suicide.

He added that the alcohol in her system was the result of a New Year's Eve party the night before.

The hearing was adjourned until January 23 for reports. Micallef was granted unconditional bail, but was given an interim driving ban.

Over Christmas and New Year Swindon police launched a campaign aimed at reducing drink driving.

But by New Year's Eve it was clear that the number of failed breath tests was going to be substantially higher than in 2002, when three out of 89 drivers who were tested were found to be positive.

The figures for the number of people tested during the 16-day monitoring period, which ended on Friday, show more than one person testing positive each day.

Disappointed traffic police claimed that drivers were ignoring well-publicised warnings and appeared to think they would not be caught or be involved in an accident.

Tina Clarke