Banned: Cannock drink-driver smashed into tree on Christmas Eve
A man who ploughed his car into a tree while more than twice the drink-drive limit has been banned from the roads.
Kyle Millward drank more than four pints of beer at a pub in Cannock before getting into his Audi A5 on Christmas Eve, magistrates heard.
After getting in his car he careered off a road running through Cannock Chase, his vehicle ending up 20 metres off the road after hitting the tree.
The court heard Millward, aged 32, of Johnson Road, Cannock, had gone to the Red Lion for 'end of season' drinks with work colleagues.
He left the pub before returning again and drinking at least four more pints.
A wheel was ripped off his high-powered Audi, which suffered extensive damage following the smash on Penkridge Bank Road. Millward was not badly hurt. He told police he could not remember how many pints he had drank.
Millward was breathalysed and was found to have 85 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35 microgrammes.
Ms Emma Thompson, prosecuting at Cannock Magistrates Court, said: "Police officers arrived at the scene to find a red Audi A5 that appeared to have collided with a tree before coming to rest in undergrowth 20 metres off the road.
Mr Paul Jenkins, defending, said stresses in Millward's personal life and job as a cinema equipment fitter may have also been a reason for his behaviour.
He was banned from driving for three years and fined £300. He was also told to pay £135 in court costs.
