A Bristol man who drove his car into a set of traffic lights while over the drink limit has been banned from driving.

Martin Gwyther pleaded guilty before Bristol magistrates to driving a Ford transit van on July 27 without insurance and colliding with a set of lights in Brislington, failing to stop and to being more than twice the drink-drive limit.

The 23-year-old, of Collin Road, Brislington, was given a four-week tagged curfew between 12am-7am, ordered to pay costs of £85 and banned from driving for 20 months.

May Li, prosecuting, told the court that Gwyther was stopped by police at about 8.30pm after the van he was driving had hit the traffic lights at the junction of Callington Road and West Town Lane.

He failed to stop at the scene of the accident and was found in a road nearby.

Police took a blood sample from him, and found that he had 191 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood. The legal limit is 80 milligrammes.

Jane Taylor, defending, said: "This is his first conviction for drink-driving. He apologises to the court but he can't explain what happened.

"He had been on his way home from work and stopped off for a drink. He had about four pints and felt OK, he should not have driven.

"He made a stupid decision to drive home, and on the way home he was approaching a set of lights which were on green. He says the adjoining lights were on red and someone had jumped the lights and he swerved to avoid them, hitting the traffic lights.

"He did not realise that he had to stop."