A driver from Newtown was caught on the roads with twice the legal limit of drink in his system – after police spotted him dropping litter out of his car.

Jack Carroll, 24, admitted drink driving when he was stopped by a police officer after disposing of litter on a busy Newtown road last month.

Welshpool Magistrates' Court heard that the police officer tried to catch Carroll's attention on New Road but due to the loud music he could not hear and moved on.

The officer caught up with Carroll and "noted a strong smell of liquor and his eyes were glazed", said prosecutor Catherine Elvin.

Carroll did a breath test which found he had 77 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35.

The court was told that Carroll had finished work early and visited a friend's house on July 15 this year.

Paul Inns, defending, said: "The weather was nice, so he made the decision to have a quick drink which developed into more than one."

Mr Inns said that Carroll has since had a chance to reflect on what happened that day. Carroll said he had made a "serious mistake" and had learnt his lesson.

Magistrates disqualified Carroll, of Lon Ceirios, for 17 months and ordered him to pay a £346 fine, £35 victim surcharge and £85 costs.