A DRUNKEN pensioner's "horrendous" driving saw her write off a car and damaged others before ploughing into the back of a parked removal van.

While driving along at almost twice over the drink driving limit, 71-year-old Carol Rose, originally from Blackburn, went past a special school at home time and repeatedly mounted the pavement narrowly missing lampposts.

Footage of her terrifying journey was captured on her own dashboard camera and played to a judge who said he had been shocked by it.

“It was a real miracle that nobody was hurt or killed,” said Recorder Graham Wells.

Liverpool Crown Court heard that as well as being over the drink driving limit, Rose has sight and hearing problems and also arthritis in her knees and back and mobility problems following a leg injury.

Because of her hearing problems she had to sit in the well of the court to be able to hear the judge sentence her. When he told her driving had been “awful” she replied, “I know it was, it was dreadful.”

He added it was “really, really frightening” and she responded: “I feel very sorry and very ashamed.”

Recorder Wells said, “The police described it as horrendous and persistent and I was shocked when I saw the CCTV from the dash cam.

“You collided with four vehicles. The last vehicle was on your side of the road and you drove straight into the back of it.

“On that journey you were driving on the pavement, it was scary to watch it and it was scary to see bits of cars flying up in the air. It was scary to see you were on the pavement and missing the lamp posts by inches.

“You drove like that past a school where there were children coming out and they are children I’m told who have special needs.

“It is a really serious because at the same time you were far too inebriated, you had clearly had too much to drink.

“When you watch the car go from side to side on the road, the police are absolutely right, it was a real miracle that nobody was hurt or killed. It must have been a moment of madness.”

He said he took into account her good character, including driving for almost 50 years without any conviction, and imposing an eight month jail sentence he suspended it for two years.

The judge also placed her under supervision for 12 months and ordered her to carry out ten days rehabilitation activities. He banned her from driving for three years and pointed out she must take an extended driving test before she can get back behind the wheel.

Derek Jones, prosecuting, had told Liverpool Crown Court that the dash cam footage in her Toyota Aygo showed her hitting a kerb outside her home in Harbury Avenue, Ainsdale, at 3.40pm on Wednesday, April 26 this year.

Turning onto Westminster Drive, she mounted a pavement before clipping a parked car’s wing mirror on the wrong side of the road. She then smashed into a car parked on her right, but ploughed on regardless past children and parents leaving Merefield Special School.

The pensioner snapped off the wing mirror of a car parked to her left before repeatedly mounting the pavement on Kidderminster Road. Her terrifying journey only ended when she smashed into the back of large removal van parked directly in front of her.

Residents rushed to her aid and called police after finding her disorientated and smelling of alcohol. She was unsteady on her feet, but claimed she had only drunk two glasses of wine.

She was twice unable to complete a breath test so was taken to a police station where she gave a blood sample.

Rose, who had 156mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood made no comment to police.

The owner of the second car damaged said her Toyota Jeep Land Cruiser was written off and the third vehicle owner said a replacement wing mirror cost him nearly £90.

Rose admitted driving dangerously and with excess alcohol.

Eric Lamb, defending, said the pensioner had passed her driving test when she was aged 22. He said she was genuinely remorseful and made no comment to police because it was the “immediate aftermath”.

As well as her physical health problems she also suffers from anxiety and depression, he said.