A 51-YEAR-OLD man who ignored his wife's pleas not to drive later crashed into three parked cars, went through a hedge and ended up in a garden.

Blackburn magistrates heard David Stuart Hetherington was found to be more than three times the legal drink drive limit.

Hetherington, of Coniston Drive, Darwen, pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol.

He was made subject to a community order for 12 months with a nine months alcohol treatment requirement and 25 days rehabilitation activity requirement, banned from driving for 28 months, fined £25 and ordered to pay £85 costs and £85 victim surcharge.

Catherine Allan, prosecuting, said police responded to a report of a crash in Anyon Street, Darwen, at 6.35pm where a BMW had crashed into parked cars before going through a hedge and into a garden.

There were a number of people on the street and a man handed the keys for the BMW to the police.

Hetherington, who was still in the car, said; "It's all my fault I have had six or seven pints."

The court was told Hetherington and his wife had caught the train to meet up with friends as they did once a month.

He could not explain why he had got into the car after catching the train back to Darwen despite his wife's efforts to persuade him not to.

Hetherington, a production manager with a plastics firm, said he deeply regretted what he had done.

"It was a blip but a big one," said Hetherington. "It has been a wake up call for me."