A Powys electrician “who felt fine to drive” after having five pints over the course of 10 hours has been banned from the roads when he was caught over the limit by police.

Police officers could smell alcohol on Jack Jones after they stopped his Mercedes Benz vehicle, which had a passenger inside, just after midnight on April 24 in Knighton.

The 25-year-old, from Stanage, near Knighton pleaded guilty to drink driving when he appeared at Welshpool Magistrates' Court on Tuesday.

Owain Jones, acting for Jones, said it was a “relatively low” reading and he was “just over the limit” when he gave a reading of 41 microgrammes of alcohol when the legal limit is 35mgs.

“He was disappointed by that because he drank five pints over the course of 10 hours and thought he felt fine to drive. There was no evidence of bad driving. He fully co-operated with the police and gave an early guilty plea this morning.”

“He is aware that he is likely to receive a financial penalty but what concerns him, of course, is the ban. He lives in Knighton and works in Kington. It’s a very rural area where he lives and works. His work takes him all over the UK. I ask that you keep the ban to a minimum.”

Magistrates disqualified Jones from driving for 12 months and offered him to attend a drink drive rehabilitation course to reduce his ban by three months.

He was also ordered to pay a £580 fine, £85 court costs and a £58 victim surcharge.