A TWO-TIME drink driver has been put on jail alert after crashing her car just yards from her Gourock home then staggering out into the street.

Veronica Morgan was nearly three-and-a-half times the old legal alcohol limit more than an hour after the collision took place.

She ploughed into a parked vehicle in Gourock’s Clyde Road — alerting concerned neighbours — after weaving around aimlessly behind the wheel of her own car.

Greenock Sheriff Court heard how the former business owner — who has now been banned from the roads for three-and-a-half years — has a previous conviction for drink driving.

Prosecutor Kevin Doherty said: “The collision was observed by neighbours and the accused was seen to reverse her car and get out.

“She was seen to be staggering and neighbours called police to report the matter.

“It was noted by officers that she appeared to be under the influence of drink.” The court heard that the lower of two readings taken for court purposes at Greenock police office showed that Morgan had 122mg of alcohol in 100ml of breath.

She committed the offence at around 12.45pm on 23 July last year — when the legal booze limit was 35mg.

Under new legislation, which came into force last month, she would have been more than five-and-a-half times above what is allowed under the law in Scotland.

Defence lawyer Gerry Keenan told the court: “Mrs Morgan has a drink problem. It is being addressed.

“She describes this incident as a blessing in disguise for her.” Mr Keenan added: “She is an intelligent woman who has children at university.

“Her family feels that she has made substantial progress thus far.

“This whole matter has engendered a huge amount of anxiety for the family.” The solicitor told Sheriff Ian Fleming: “Prior to this incident she was running her own cleaning business.

“There is recognition that problems were beginning to emerge regarding abuse of alcohol.

“This incident brought that home to her.

“She has made considerable improvement in addressing her problem. It is extremely unlikely that there will be any recurrence of this behaviour.

“What has happened has been a salutary lesson to her.” Mr Keenan said that Mrs Morgan — who frequently dabbed her eyes with a tissue in the dock — was ‘genuinely motivated’ about her ongoing rehabilitation.

Sheriff Fleming told her: “You clearly have a problem but the manifestation of this is the offence you have committed.

“This is a serious matter.” As well as being disqualified from driving for 42 months, Morgan, of Clyde Road, was also fined £675. In a stern warning from the bench, Sheriff Fleming told her: “If you come back before this court in relation to a similar matter it is likely that you will end up in custody.”