A MAN who crashed into a newspaper stand and flower display on a garage forecourt at 5.20am was later found sitting in his car with the engine running in the middle of the A666 in Darwen.

Blackburn magistrates heard Gregory Steven Sayers was found to be nearly three times the legal drink drive limit.

Sayers, 29, of Queen Street, Darwen, pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol.

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He was made subject to a community order for 12 months with 100 hours unpaid work and a 20 day rehabilitation activity requirement, banned from driving for 25 months and ordered to pay £85 costs and £85 victim surcharge.

Philippa White, prosecuting, said after the garage collision it took the driver five minutes to manoeuvre off the forecourt and a member of staff formed the opinion the driver was drunk and called the police.

“An officer found the car in the middle of the main road with its hazard lights on, the engine running and the defendant sitting in the drivers seat,” said Mrs White.

Colleen Dickinson-Jones, defending, said Sayers had been for a night out with his girlfriend. She went back to her sister’s house, where they were staying while waiting to move into their own house, but he stayed out.

“When he got back he realised he didn’t have a key and didn’t want to wake everyone up,” said Mrs Dickinson-Jones. “He got into his car to keep warm and drove to the petrol station to get fuel.”