THE joint licensee of the Wellsprings on the Nick o'Pendle has been sent to prison for drink driving.

Blackburn magistrates heard how Brian Christopher Skinner was arrested after crashing his Suzuki Vitara into a wall near the Pendle Witch pub in Sabden.

A subsequent breath test revealed an alcohol level of 130 against the legal limit of 35.

Skinner, 41, of Moreton Lodge, Moreton Park, Whalley, pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol and was jailed for seven days and disqualified from driving for 30 months. He agreed to be referred to the drink-driver rehabilitation programme.

Phillip Potter, prosecuting, said police were called to a road traffic accident near the Pendle Witch at 12.50am. Skinner's vehicle had crashed into a wall and they found the defendant inside the pub.

Skinner, who was not represented by a solicitor and declined to speak to the duty solicitor despite being warned there was a possibility he would go to prison, said he was totally ashamed of himself. "I just cannot believe I was so stupid as to drive," said Skinner.

" I just cannot believe I am standing here facing this charge."

Stipendiary magistrate Jonathon Finestein said it gave him no pleasure to impose a custodial sentence on Skinner who was a man of previous good character.

"On this occasion you drank until you were more than three times the legal limit," said Mr Finestein.

"You were involved in a serious accident in which you could have killed yourself. Worse than that you could have killed anyone else who could have had the misfortune to be in the vicinity.

"You were a walking death trap and the reading was so high that I have no option but to impose an immediate prison sentence. You will be out in two or three days but they will be days you will not forget. Prison will be a wretched experience but you have only yourself to blame."

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