A Portadown man has been disqualified from driving for 18 months after supermarket security staff observed him intoxicated and reported him to police.

Edmund Jones, 60, of Kingsway Drive, appeared at Craigavon Magistrates Court and pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol.

On 22 May, at around 6.30pm, staff at the Asda store in Portadown reported that a customer had been drinking and had driven away. Jones had asked staff to call a taxi and gave his name, but they noticed a strong smell of alcohol and slurred speech. He waited for about 10 minutes before leaving on foot.

Security staff followed him and saw him stumbling repeatedly as he walked to his white Mercedes. They recorded the vehicle's registration and alerted police.

Officers went to Jones's address and found the car matching the description. An evidential breath test recorded 117 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath, more than three times the legal limit of 35 micrograms.

Jones's solicitor told the court his client accepted he had consumed alcohol before driving but said he had more to drink after returning home, which would have affected the reading. The court heard Jones had worked as a highways inspection operative but took early retirement because of the incident. He had a previous conviction from January this year for being in charge of a vehicle with excess alcohol.

District Judge Michael Ranaghan described the reading as very high and imposed an 18-month driving ban, a £350 fine, and a £15 offender levy.