A DRIVER who failed to provide a breath test to police after he sped past them in Kidderminster has been banned from driving for 12 months.

Craig Cheatham was seen by officers on patrol on the night of September 16 standing near his car before he noticed them and walked away from the vehicle.

Prosecutor Adrian Jones said the officers moved on but then saw the car speed past them.

He said: "While on patrol, officer saw this man at the side of his vehicle. He appeared to have seen the officers and he appeared to walk away from from his vehicle. They move on, then the vehicle is driven past them at some speed and pulls up in a car park and turns off its lights.

"The police speaks to the driver, who said he had been drinking. A roadside breath test was positive, ad he was arrested."

However, despite providing a breath test on the roadside, which proved he had been been drink-driving, at the police station the 54-year-old was blowing around the tube or not blowing sufficiently enough when he was supposed to be giving an official reading.

In mitigation, Henry Skudra said the father-of-two, who had been driving for 37 years without a gaining a single blemish on his license, was thoroughly ashamed of his behaviour, and a ban, which was inevitable, would seriously affect both him and his family as he was a self-employed cobbler who had to travel for work.

Cheatham, of Wells Court, Arley, Bewdley, pleaded guilty to failing to provide a specimen for analysis when he appeared at Kidderminster Magistrates' Court on Thursday, October 1.

Chairman of the magistrates Sue Dowty disqualified him from driving for 12 months with the option to reduce that ban by 25 per cent by taking the drink-drive rehabilitation course. He was also ordered to pay a £400 fine and £150 in court charges, £85 in prosecution costs, and a £40 victim surcharge.