A WOMAN became emotional in the dock after she admitted to driving to the shops while more than twice over the limit.

Jacqueline Ellen Denne, 33, of Muirfield Close, explained how she had lost her job and faced the prospect court hearings over the custody of her children when she was stopped by police outside her home on March 29.

Appearing at Chester Magistrates Court on Tuesday, April 20, Denne admitted to officers at the scene she had had 'quite a bit of San Miguel'.

Alan Currums, prosecuting, told the bench how a police officer on duty on the Leftwich estate had received information about the driver of a Renault Clio being potentially intoxicated after driving to shops on Clifton Drive.

He said: "Very soon after receiving the information, the officer spotted the vehicle and observed it clipping a curb, before it turned into nearby Muirfield Close.

"It stopped outside a property and the defendant got out.

"She was asked if she had been drinking to which she replied she had had a couple, before admitting to having quite a lot of San Miguel.

"At that point she became emotional, telling officers how she was going to lose her job."

Mr Currums went on to say how Denne had then been taken into custody and once there provided officers with a sample of her breath, with the lowest of those readings being 82 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, with the legal limit being 35mg/100ml.

Defending herself in court, Denne apologised to magistrates and became emotional as she told them it had been a 'silly mistake' after losing her job and facing the prospect of two court hearings about the custody of her children.

"It will never happen again, I've learnt my lesson," she said.

Magistrates disqualified Denne from driving for a period of 20 months but agreed to offer her the opportunity to complete a drink/drive rehabilitation course, which could reduce the length of the ban.

She was also fined £120, must pay prosecution costs of £85 and pay a surcharge of £34.