Bassetlaw mum downed the "majority of a bottle of vodka" before driving

Officers received reports that Rebecca McMurray was slurring her words and struggling to park her black Peugeot 208, at McDonald's, at around 10pm, on July 1, said prosecutor Sarah Holland.

They saw her drive past them on Wharncliffe Road, Retford, and followed her to her home address, where she used the vehicle to stay upright.

She was taken to Mansfield police station where a test revealed she had 89 mcgs of alcohol in 100 mls of breath, when the legal limit is 35 mcgs.

When she was interviewed, McMurray said she argued with a colleague before leaving work and drank the majority of a bottle of vodka immediately afterwards.

She said her mum was at home babysitting and she knew she would be angry and disappointed, so she decided to go to Markham Moor to buy food to sober up and was followed home by police, Ms Holland said.

McMurray denied drinking in front of the officers.

The court heard she has a previous conviction for common assault from 2007.

McMurray, who represented herself, wept as she told magistrates she had recently suffered a bereavement.

She told the court: "I hold my hands up. I have been driving for 15 years. I don't usually drink. I have been struggling to hold down three jobs.

"I am a single mum with three children. It is entirely my fault. I can only apologise. It's nothing less than I deserve."

She said she would have to give up one of her jobs because of the inevitable driving ban and this would have a financial impact on her.

McMurray, 35, of Fairway, Retford, admitted driving with excess alcohol when she appeared at Mansfield Magistrates Court, on Thursday.

She was fined £300, with a £34 surcharge and £85 court costs. She was banned from driving for 22 months, but a rehabilitation course for drink drivers will cut the disqualification by 167 days if she completes it before October 2022.