A 52-YEAR-OLD man who had just found new work was jailed for four months after admitting drink-driving.

Dennis Shaw, of Forster Street, Darlington, was also banned from driving for three years at Darlington Magistrates' Court yesterday.

He was stopped by police on February 4 in Northgate, Darlington. He was found to have 121mg of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35mg.

The court heard that he had been drinking and asked his son to pick him up.

While on their way home, his son stopped to talk to someone. But when he failed to re-appear, Shaw moved the car to a safer parking place.

Laura Saunders-Jerrom, mitigating, said: "He accepts it was stupid to do what he did. He bitterly, bitterly regrets driving it to a more safe and appropriate place. It was just abandoned in the road."

She said her client had just found a new job after many months out of work and his wife would not be able to support herself if magistrates decided to jail him.

Chairman Patricia Wilson said: "We considered custody to be appropriate in view of the danger to the public and disregard to previous penalties."