A CREWKERNE woman who was drunk when she was found sat in the driver’s seat of her car in a supermarket car park escaped a driving ban despite failing to complete a breath test.

Police were called to the upper level of the Tesco car park in Yeovil after reports from shoppers of a “drunk female” sitting in her car.

After failing a breath test at the scene Marie Annabel Levaux was arrested but failed to complete the required second test at the police station when she would not blow properly into the machine.

The 51-year-old defendant, of Severalls Park, appeared before Somerset Magistrates and pleaded guilty that on January 9, when suspected of having being in charge of a vehicle, she failed to provide a specimen of breath for analysis.

Prosecutor Emma Lenanton said that police were called to the upper level of the car park at 11.50am after reports of a drunk female in a car.

“Officers attended and found a Peugeot 206 with Levaux sat in the driver’s seat while the keys were in the ignition,” she said.

“They suspected she may be under the influence of alcohol and conducted a roadside breath test which she failed and was arrested.

“At the police station the second breath test procedure was attempted but she kept blowing and stopping and did not provide full specimens.”

Levaux was allowed to attempt the test a second time but failed to blow into the machine properly again and was charged with the offence.

Defending solicitor Sam Morton said that the defendant made two genuine attempts to provide a specimen of breath at the police station but clearly did not provide sufficient breath for the machine.

“She is currently on Jobseekers Allowance at the moment and there is a job available at a care home in Merriott, but if she is disqualified she would not be able to take it up and would have to sell her car and find something else,” he said.

“She said she had been drinking into the early hours of the morning the night before the offence.”

The magistrates decided not to impose a driving ban on Levaux but instead gave her a discretionary 10 penalty points on her licence.

They also find her £120 with £85 costs and a £30 victim surcharge.