A CREWE man was caught drink driving twice within a matter of weeks by the same police officer, a court was told.

Gavin Wright was more than twice over the legal limit when he was pulled up on two separate occasions. The first time he jumped out of his car and made a dash to his home on Mablins Lane before being pepper sprayed while he resisted arrest.

Wright, who had a recent previous drink-drive conviction, was warned by South Cheshire magistrates that he was fortunate not to be jailed as he was curfewed for six months and banned from the road for three years and 10 months.

Chairman of the bench, Sarah Pochin, told him: "You have got off lightly. These are the third similar offences in four years, you were on police bail at the time and you resisted the PC, while you have not complied with probation in completing your pre-sentence report.

"You have shown no regard for the law and we have discussed the option of custody."

Prosecutor Ben Stanley told South Cheshire Magistrates' Court that PC Gackowski spotted a white van speeding towards Mablins Lane just before 1am on August 23 this year. The vehicle turned several times without indicating and when the driver got out at Sunnyside Place the PC confronted him.

"The officer could smell alcohol and he grabbed the defendant's right arm to stop him but he resisted arrest and at his front door he pulled the officer inside and shouted 'I'm in my own house, you can't do that'," said the prosecutor.

"The officer feared for his own safety and deployed an irritant spray to deter him."

Wright was handcuffed and taken to the Middlewich Custody Suite where he gave a test reading of 75mcg in 100 ml of breath; the legal limit is 35.

On the second occasion, near to midnight on September 20, the same officer was on mobile patrol on Bradfield Road when he was told Wright had been seen in a car by a shop.

When he approached him he noticed the defendant's speech was slurred and a later breath test provided a reading of 76, again more than twice over the legal drink-drive limit.

Wright, 33, of Mablins Lane, Crewe pleaded guilty to two driving with excess alcohol charges and one of resisting a police constable in the execution of duty.

In mitigation, Samantha Corcoran, told the court there were "issues going on" and that Wright, who had lost his job as a BT engineer, was suffering from poor mental health.

His GP had diagnosed him with anxiety and depression, while he may also be suffering from PTSD after the death of his mother.

"His GP is referring him for counselling. He accepts his drinking is problematic and he was using it as a coping mechanism. He has signed off from work," said the solicitor.

Wright will be curfewed between 7pm and 7am and as well as the driving ban will have to pay court costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £95.