A Sandys man has been banned from the road for 18 months after he admitted drinking and driving.

Craig Simons, 54, denied driving while impaired, but pleaded guilty to a charge of driving over the legal blood-alcohol limit.

Prosecutor Susan Mulligan said that at around 12.10am on October 19, a uniformed officer was in the eastbound lane of Somerset Road directing traffic when he saw the defendant approach in a silver car.

The officer signalled for the vehicle to stop but it continued towards him without slowing, causing the officer to jump back to avoid being struck. The officer shouted at the driver to stop, which he then did.

The court heard that the officer approached the driver, identified as Simons, and noticed that his eyes were glazed and his breath smelled like intoxicants.

Asked if he had been drinking, Simons said: “Yes. Please, man, ease me up.”

Simons was arrested on suspicion of driving while impaired and taken to Hamilton Police Station, where he agreed to provide a sample of breath. The lowest reading of the test showed he had 169 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood, double the legal limit of 80 milligrams.

Magistrate Khamisi Tokunbo disqualified Simons from driving all vehicles for 18 months, and fined him $1,200 for the offence.