AN Ellesmere Port man celebrating a successful day of business drove to the shop to get a bottle of wine – but had already been drinking.

Police on patrol then stopped Michael Anthony Cowin, 55, of Red Lion Lane, near the Tesco Express store in Ellesmere Port.

Cowin then gave a positive roadside breath test and was arrested for drink-driving.

Appearing at Chester Magistrates Court via remote videolink on Tuesday, March 2, Cowin – a man with no previous convictions – pleaded guilty at the first opportunity to drink-driving.

He was fined £1,000 and banned from driving for 14 months.

Prosecuting, Alan Currums said it was 9.50pm on February 12 when police saw Cowin leave the store car park in a Tesla.

Cowin co-operated with the police drink-drive procedure and gave a reading of 52 microgrammes per 100 millilitres of breath, compared to the legal limit of 35.

Defending, Patrick Geddes said Cowin was an educated, hard-working man who had founded a high-tech biometric company.

He wanted to explain his behaviour to the court, which did not excuse what he had done.

That day he had been in work very early and had been in a successful telephone business call with people abroad.

After that had gone well, he had celebrated with a bottle of wine and subsequently went to the shop 500 metres away to get some food and another bottle of wine.

He had put on his coat and gloves, but found it was bitterly cold outside so made the "foolish decision" to drive instead.

When stopped by police, Cowin explained he thought he had an alcohol issue, brought to light by the ongoing pandemic and the isolation caused from lockdowns.

"His work is far reaching but his world is very small," Mr Geddes explained.

Cowin had sought help after recognising his alcohol intake had increased, and was "ashamed" of his actions that day, accepting he put other road users at risk.

As well as the fine and driving ban – which can be reduced by a quarter if Cowin successfully completes a drink-drive rehabilitation course – Cowin must pay £85 court costs and a £100 victim surcharge.