A 24-YEAR-OLD man who pleaded guilty to his third drink driving offence in the past five years escaped a jail sentence yesterday.

Alexander Airey, of Aberdeen Road, Darlington, was almost two-and-a-half times the legal drink-drive limit when police officers stopped him behind the wheel in April.

South Durham Magistrates' Court heard that Airey, who works as an IT technical support officer at Darlington Memorial Hospital, was breathalysed after breaking the speed limit on the town's ring road.

He was found to have 85 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood. The legal limit is 35.

Graham Ablett, in mitigation, told magistrates that his client had already been convicted of drink driving offences in 1999 and 2002.

Airey also pleaded guilty to driving without insurance.

Chairman of the magistrates' bench Harry Fletcher said to Airey: "We did consider custody. You came so close you must have felt the draft of the door closing in front of you."

He was sentenced to an 18- month community punishment and rehabilitation order and disqualified for three years. He was also fined £150 for having no insurance, plus £34 costs.