A former bomb disposal officer has been ordered off the roads after being caught driving through Milford Haven when he was over twice the legal limit.

Officers stopped 70-year-old Frederick Squires on April 2 as he drove his Citroen Berlingo along the Great North Road.

A roadside breath test was carried out which proved positive and Squires was conveyed to a police custody suite for further intoximeter tests to be taken. These showed he had 80 mcg of alcohol in 100ml of breath. The specified legal limit is 35.

Squires, of Bunkers Hill, Milford Haven, pleaded guilty to the offence of drink driving when he appeared before Haverfordwest magistrates earlier this week. He was legally represented  in court by Mr Tom Lloyd.

“To say my client has a lot on his plate is an understatement,” he said.

“He’s been married for 45 years but after his wife had a stroke as well as a triple heart by-pass, she now relies on him for absolutely everything.

"That day she had been particularly ill throughout the night and when she finally settled down, the defendant consumed some alcohol and went to bed. When he woke up he had further obligations to pick up medications for her and he didn’t feel particularly intoxicated at the time.”

Mr Lloyd went on to say that Frederick Squires worked as a bomb disposal officer in Ireland throughout the 1970s.

“I hope you don’t under-estimate what this means to my client,” said Mr Lloyd. “This is a 70-year-old man who’s never been in trouble before.”

After considering the mitigation, magistrates disqualified Squires for 17 months. He was fined £200 and ordered to pay £85 costs and an £80 surcharge.