An estate agent caught weaving across the road in his company car was almost three times over the drink-drive limit.
Lee Whitehead, a director for Ryder and Dutton estate agents, drove home after drinking in the pub with a colleague.
The 37-year-old – forced to resign from his position over the incident – had a previous conviction for the same offence and has now been banned from driving for four years.
He pleaded guilty to driving whilst over the prescribed limit when he appeared at Kirklees Magistrates’ Court.
Shamaila Qureshi, prosecuting, said that the incident occurred at 7pm on April 26 when police were called over Whitehead’s bad driving.
She told magistrates: “The defendant was driving the vehicle registered to Ryder and Dutton estate agents where he works.
“The witness, a passenger in a taxi, reported seeing the vehicle on Meltham Road driving in an erratic manner, swerving all over the road and driving at speeds of more than 40mph.”
The witness took down the vehicle details and officers attended and arrested Whitehead, who smelled strongly of alcohol staggered as he spoke with them.
Breath tests showed that he had 96mg of alcohol in 100 millimetres of breath – almost three times the legal limit of 35 microgrammes.
Magistrates were told that Whitehead, of The Cobbles in Meltham, had a previous drink-driving conviction from September 2015 which resulted in him being banned from driving for 16 months.
Rachel Sharpe, mitigating, explained that her client had turned to alcohol as a coping mechanism due to difficult family circumstances in the last few years.
She said: “He’d gone out after work, walked to the pub and left his car at work.
“He had a drink with a colleague and then taken the stupid decision to drive home as he felt okay to drive.
“When he returned home he continued to drink and would say there’s some post-driving drinking that’s contributed to the reading.”
Mrs Sharpe told the court that due to his conviction Whitehead has had to resign from his position as company director for the estate agents, which has branches in Holmfirth and Huddersfield.
She said: “He’s worked for the company from school having worked himself up to that position from office junior.
“He has resigned from that position as clearly as an estate agent he has to drive and won’t be able to do that when disqualified.
“He’s been offered an office job so would still be able to work for the company, although would have to apply for a position clearly not as high.”
Magistrates banned Whitehead from driving for 48 months and told him to complete a community order with six months of alcohol treatment.
He has to pay £85 costs and £85 victim surcharge.
