A bus driver's job hangs in the balance after he was banned from the road for a year after pleading guilty to drink driving.

Sandys man Kwesi Hollis, 28, was spotted driving a private car by Police doing spot checks in South Shore Road, Southampton, in the early hours of December 28.

He swerved in from Middle Road at high speed and cut the corner ending up in the wrong lane causing his tyres to screech.

Officers signalled for Hollis to stop and he came to an abrupt halt ten yards in front of them before reversing back. But officers ran and caught up with him and got him to stop.

Hollis stepped out but the car rolled back because he had forgotten to apply the handbrake.

He announced in a slurred voice he was the designated drive and had drunk less than his pals.

Hollis was cautioned but he said he wanted to drive home. A breath test showed he was almost twice over the legal limit.

In plea court last week, he asked Acting Senior Magistrate Carlisle Greaves if he could keep his bus licence.

But Mr. Greaves said: "You are not going to be able to do that sir."

He fined Hollis $1,000 and banned him from driving all vehicles for 12 months. Mr. Greaves said: "That's the law."

Last week, Public Transport Board Director Dann Simmons said: "The justice system has done what it had to do. It is a private, personal matter.

"He has to deal with it."

Asked if Mr. Hollis would keep his job Mr. Simmons said: "We try to assist when we can. There are a number of different dynamics including the budget."

"We will look at it to see what we can," said Mr. Simmons. "Our agreement, I think, with the union, is if there is a budget for it, we will do it."

But he said the company would not make up a job it didn't need just to keep an employee who was banned from the road in a job.