A 41-year-old Southampton man was banned from the roads for three years after he admitted driving while over the prescribed blood-alcohol limit.

Appearing in Magistrates’ Court this morning, Thomas Smith pleaded guilty to the offence which occurred on East Broadway in the early hours of December 24.

The court heard that police officers saw Smith swerving and veering between lanes, and had to brake to avoid a collision.

The officers followed Smith into the parking lot of the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute and apprehended him.

He was taken to Hamilton Police Station, where he agreed to provide a breath sample.

The lowest reading revealed that Smith had 196 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood — the legal limit is 80 milligrams.

Prosecutor Susan Mulligan told the court that Smith has a previous impaired driving offence dating back to 2003.

Magistrate Khamisi Tokunbo gave Smith a $2,000 fine and disqualified him from diving all vehicles for three years.

• A 66-year-old Devonshire man was fined $800 and given 10 demerit points for driving without due care and attention.

Ernest Hendrickson pleaded guilty when he also appeared in court.

Ms Mulligan said that Hendrickson failed to heed the warning lights on the pedestrian crossing on East Broadway and struck a pedestrian, who suffered minor injuries as a result. The incident took place on April 21.