A PREGNANT woman who was more than three times the drink drive limit when she got behind the wheel has been handed a suspended prison sentence.

Alanda Jane Kempton, 30, of Blackmore Road, Shaftesbury, was spotted by a police officer driving a Volkswagen Fox at 1am on January 1, on the A30 near Shaftesbury.

Weymouth Magistrates Court heard Kempton was followed up the road by police and pulled over on a routine stop.

Police officers said it was ‘quite clear’ she was intoxicated.

Kempton, who pleaded guilty to drink driving, gave a reading of 125 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath.

The legal limit is 35 microgrammes.

The court heard Kempton had got behind the wheel after an argument with her partner over the fact she had been drinking that evening while pregnant.

Lee Christmas, representing Kempton, said his client had previously held a full and clean driving licence and was a woman of good character.

He also said Kempton is due to give birth in June of this year and described this incident as a ‘moment of madness’.

He added: “An argument had taken place between my client and her partner, and she simply wanted to go home to her mother.”

Magistrates handed Kempton a prison sentence of eight weeks suspended for 18 months.

She was also banned from driving for 30 months, with a 226 day reduction upon completing a drink driving awareness course.

Kempton was ordered to pay costs of £85 as well as a victim surcharge of £85.