An alcoholic who thanked a judge for sparing him prison and giving him a chance to get help for his drink problem has apologised after he was arrested for being drunk just four days later.

Daniel Palmer was given a 24-month prison sentence suspended for two years, a 12-month alcohol treatment order and a criminal behaviour order at Ipswich Crown Court on October 17.

On that occasion Judge Emma Peters said that repeated prison sentences had not stopped him drinking and reoffending and it was time to try something else.

She warned Palmer, who has 140 previous convictions, that he would be brought back to court and re-sentenced if he breached the suspended sentence order.

Following his arrest four days later on October 21 Palmer, 37, of Fleming Road, Bury St Edmunds, admitted breaching the suspended sentence order and a criminal behaviour order banning him from being drunk in public.

Jailing him for two years Judge Peters said she had given him a chance against the weight of his previous convictions.

"I wanted to give you a chance but you didn't take it."

"You didn't have the internal motivation to last four days," added the judge.

The court heard that on October 21 police were call to the Guildhall surgery in Lower Baxter Street, Bury St Edmunds at around 1pm.

Palmer was lying on the floor near near the reception and had his hand in his mouth and appeared to be trying to make himself sick.

When the officer approached him Palmer vomited on the floor and was taken outside.

"He smelled strongly of alcohol and he had an empty bottle of cider and a half empty bottle of vodka," said Simon Gladwell, prosecuting.

Oliver Haswell, for Palmer, said his client was grateful for the chance he had been given by Judge Peters and apologised for letting her down.

He said Palmer had attended an appointment with the probation service the day after he was given the suspended sentence order but had reverted to drinking and had gone to the surgery on October 21 because he felt genuinely ill.