A BOOZED-up driver had started drinking six hours before police spotted him drunkenly negotiating a roundabout in Port Glasgow.

John Morgan-Thomas, 58, has now lost his job as a truck driver as a result of his conviction for being four-times the alcohol limit.

The dad-of-two started drinking at 3pm on the afternoon of July 13 before getting behind the wheel of his red BMW 216 Sport.

Police on routine patrol in an unmarked car spotted the Kilmacolm man driving erratically on the A8 at 9pm.

His lawyer told Greenock Sheriff Court: "He was going through a particularly stressful situation and that afternoon and he lost his way regarding the amount of drink he'd taken and the ability of being safe to drive."

Morgan-Thomas was found to have 86 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath.

He is today beginning a 16-month ban from the roads and he has also been fined £585 for the offence.

Prosecutor Frankie Morgan said: "Due to the manner of driving, officers had cause to stop the vehicle.

"It was apparent that there was a strong smell of alcohol."

Morgan-Thomas's solicitor said: "He was travelling home towards Kilmacolm at the time.

"He is 58 years of age, has been a truck driver for the last 28 years and he will lose his job as a result of the inevitable disqualification.

"His wife is a lecturer in Glasgow."

The lawyer added: "He'd been drinking at the rugby club since 3pm."

Morgan-Thomas, of Smithy Brae in Kilmacolm, has been allowed leave to take part in a drink-driving rehabilitation course which, if successfully completed, will reduce the disqualification period to a year.