A pensioner has been fined £100 for being drunk in charge of a mobility scooter, after shop-staff spotted her out of control on a Pembroke pavement.

Valene Colley, of Upper Lamphey Road, Pembroke, did not attend her hearing at Haverfordwest magistrates court on Tuesday, but her solicitor Mike Kelleher entered a guilty plea on her behalf to a charge of being drunk in charge of a carriage on a highway.

Vaughan Pritchard-Jones, prosecuting, told the court that police were called by members of staff at a Pembroke charity shop who had concerns about Colley, 73, riding her scooter on a Main Street pavement at 2pm on February 2.

“She smelt of intoxicants and did not seem to be able to fully control the scooter.”

“She was slurring her words when the officer tried to speak to her. She had an empty coke bottle in the front basket of the scooter and it’s believed that it contained alcohol.”

Colley was taken to the police station and found to have 62mg of alcohol in 100ml of breath, the legal drink-drive limit is 35mg.

Mike Kelleher, defending, told the court that the 80kg scooter had a maximum speed of 4mph, and could be used on pavements, but not on the road unless absolutely necessary, and was not classed as a motor vehicle.

He said: “This has caused considerable embarrassment to Mrs Colley.

“She has learned her lesson. She had not realised she had consumed as much as she had in the reading.”

“Clearly it becomes dangerous, even to herself, to drive one of these while not fully able to control it.”

Magistrates fined Colley £100 and ordered her to pay £85 court costs and a £30 victim surcharge.