THE owner of a car that plunged into a North-East marina when her drunken friend got behind the wheel has been banned from driving for a year.

Trainee accounts technician Stacey Margaret Carey, 18, had earlier been drinking with Sarah Lewis when the car sank in Hartlepool Marina. A passing Coastguard pulled them to safety.

The accident happened near the Old West Quay pub, and the wrecked car was later recovered from the marina.

Hartlepool Magistrates' Court was told that Carey is paying £200 a month to a hire purchase company for the Ford Ka and paid £500 to recover it from the marina.

Carey, of Chichester Close, The Fens, Hartlepool pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol, aiding and abetting driving without a licence, aiding and abetting driving with no insurance and aiding and abetting driving with excess alcohol.

The court heard she allowed her friend to drive her car after a night out - despite the fact they had been drinking.

Lewis drove the car into a boulder, which caused the air-bag to blow up in her face. When she tried to hit the brake pedal, she caught the accelerator by accident, and the car plunged into the sea.

Carey was fined £200 for drink-driving, disqualified from driving for 12 months, fined £50 for aiding and abetting drink-driving and ordered to pay £40 court costs. No further penalties were given for the other aiding and abetting offences, which took place on January 13.

Lewis was disqualified from driving for 12 months, fined £200 and ordered to pay £40 costs at an earlier appearance at Hartlepool Magistrates' Court.