A Haverfordwest man made the ‘foolish decision’ to drink-drive after finding it too cold to sleep in his car following a party.

Raja Jambulingam, of High Street, pleaded guilty to driving while over the legal alcohol limit when he appeared before Haverfordwest magistrates on Tuesday.

The court heard that police spotted Jambulingam’s Ford Fiesta entering a roundabout without any headlights on and a frosted windscreen at 3.10am on February 22.

The car swerved across the road several times as the officers followed it onto Freemans Way, Haverfordwest, and Jambulingam was found to have 70mg of alcohol in 100ml of breath, the legal limit is 35mg.

Mike Kelleher, defending, told magistrates that the car had automatic lights which may not have been working at the time, but the sidelights would have been on.

He added that Jambulingam, 25, had walked home after attending a party at the hospital, only to be forced to return to his vehicle because he had left his house keys in it.

“When he got to the car he decided it would be easier to lie down in the car and go to sleep. Unfortunately the cold got to him and he woke up.

“Very foolishly he took the decision that he would drive home.”

Mr Kelleher added that Jambulingam had never been in trouble before and the roads had been empty on the night in question.

“This has been a rather sobering experience for him.”

The court heard that losing his licence would cause issues for Jambulingam, who had called several taxi firms without success before getting behind the wheel, and had stopped drinking more than two hours before driving.

Jambulingam was fined £500 and banned from driving for 18 months. He was also ordered to pay £85 court costs and a £50 surcharge.