A 39-year-old drink-driver has been banned from the road for 18 months after taking a car without consent while disqualified from driving.

Hayley Waters, of Fletcher Road, Ipswich, admitted four offences when she appeared before the town’s magistrates court.

Waters pleaded guilty to driving while above the legal alcohol limit, taking a vehicle without consent, driving while disqualified and having no insurance.

The offences occurred around 4.30am on October 4 after Waters had been on a night out in Ipswich.

Prosecutor Tess Mann said Waters had been out with friends and was in a bar when she took the car keys to a hire car. The man who hired the Ford Fiesta only discovered they were missing when he went to leave.

The court was told a doorman had seen Waters getting into the car and knew she had been drinking so he told a police officer. The vehicle was stopped in Orwell Place.

A breath test showed Waters had 155 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 80mgs. She had previously been disqualified from driving after collecting too many penalty points.

Waters’ solicitor Lyndon Davies said she was aware she was disqualified and over the limit when she took the car.

He added the offence was “completely out of character” and occurred after she had become upset after receiving some disturbing news.

In addition to her driving ban Waters was given a community order and told to undertake 220 hours of unpaid work. She must also pay £145 in costs and a victim surcharge.

Another drink-driver was caught travelling the wrong way in a one-way street in Felixstowe. Artur Macherzynski, formerly of Brook Lane, Felixstowe, admitted drink-driving and failing to comply with a no entry sign when he appeared at South East Suffolk Magistrates Court.

The 31-year-old was arrested on November 30 after a police officer saw him driving in Bent Hill. A subsequent breath test showed he had 51 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35mgs.

Macherzynski told the court he was sorry.

District Judge Celia Dawson told Macherzynski, who lives in Poland but comes to the UK regularly, that he would be fined £120 and would have to pay £85 costs as well as a £20 victim surcharge.

Macherzynski was also disqualified from driving in the UK for 12 months.