A MAN who had been drinking vodka since he got up was found to be more than three times the drink drive limit after crashing his car on snow-affected roads.

Blackburn magistrates heard Inam Ul-Haque had been suffering from depression which led to him drinking excessively.

Ul-Haque, 31, of Queensgate, Nelson, pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol.

He was made subject to community supervision for 12 months, ordered to pay £145 costs and banned from driving for 28 months.

The magistrates agreed to suspend the supervision order for three months while he is in Pakistan The court heard Ul-Haque was taken to hospital after a collision in Oswaldtwistle, but later gave a reading of 119 against the legal limit of 35.

Nick Dearing, defending, said his client was a structural engineer with no previous convictions.

“Sadly he has been suffering from quite severe depression for the past 18 months,” said Mr Dearing. “He drinks to excess on occasions, usually sitting on a park bench and drinking until he passes out, but he does not drink and drive. He feels he has brought shame on his family.”

Mr Dearing said Ul-Haque worked as a structural engineer but had been allowed to take six months off work to sort out his problems.

“He plans to travel to his parents’ village in Pakistan where he will work as a volunteer in the school while he sorts out his problems,” said Mr Dearing.