A man from west Suffolk was handed a 20-month driving ban for drink driving.

Emanuel Ribeiro, 56, appeared in the dock at Suffolk Magistrates' Court in Ipswich on Tuesday.

The court heard that Ribeiro had been caught drink driving on the evening of December 23.

He was found to have 82 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millimetres of breath. The legal limit is 35 micrograms.

Ribeiro pleaded guilty to the offence of driving when above the legal alcohol limit.

The court heard that an off-duty police officer had been driving ahead of Ribeiro and grew concerned about the manner of his driving.

Magistrates heard that his headlights were “swaying from left to right”.

The police officer pulled in and allowed Ribeiro to pass him. He then began to follow Ribeiro, while calling colleagues for backup, who were then able to conduct a roadside breath test.

Ribeiro’s defence barrister said that his client had met with friends that evening for what was supposed to be one pint, but that he “makes no bones about the fact he had too much to drink”.

Ribeiro has worked as a postman for Royal Mail for the past 10 years. Apart from this offence, his barrister said everything else in his client’s life was “stable and respectable”.

Ribeiro, of Gainsborough Road, Haverhill, was ordered to pay a total amount of £595, which included a £350 fine.

He was also disqualified from driving for 20 months, with the option of reducing this ban by undertaking a rehabilitation course.