A CHESTER woman crashed her car into a parked vehicle while over the drink-drive limit.

Elizabeth Horton-Fleming, 60, of Willow Crescent, Chester, admitted drink-driving and driving without a valid licence or insurance.

Chester Magistrates Court heard on Friday, September 14 the driving licence had recently lapsed and that meant the insurance was invalid for her Vauxhall Tigra.

Magistrates handed Horton-Fleming an 18-month driving ban and fined her £250.

Prosecuting, Kerry Pepperell said it was 1am on August 27 when an eyewitness on Hoole Road saw a car driving erratically at speed and swerving before hearing a loud noise and seeing the Vauxhall facing the pavement having had a collision.

The witness recognised Horton-Fleming after seeing her earlier that evening and noticed she was drunk, saying: "I have made the wrong decision."

A positive breath test showed Horton-Fleming had 62 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath, compared to the legal limit of 35.

In police interview, she said she had been drinking wine and crashed into a parked vehicle. She thought she had a valid licence to drive but it had lapsed.

Defending, Steve Coop said Horton-Fleming was going through a very difficult, long-standing dispute in her family where she had lost a court battle, resulting in the loss of her right to live at the address she had been living at for 20 years and had become homeless.

Mr Coop added: "The result is she has made a serious error of judgment. She should have got a taxi."

Horton-Fleming previously had insurance but, with the licence not updated, it was not valid.

Chair of magistrates Roy Baron said to Horton-Fleming: "You have pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity to what is a serious offence.

"We do understand that things are not going too well for you at the time but that is no excuse."

As well as the fine and driving ban, Horton-Fleming must pay £85 court costs and a £30 victim surcharge.

Horton-Fleming was also offered the chance to go on a drink-driving rehabilitation course which would reduce her driving ban by a quarter.