A DRINK-driver who was chased and arrested by Dorset's police chief has been banned from the roads for 21 months.

Simon James Shelton, 41, said he regretted the incident and the amount of publicity he received after being stopped by Dorset Chief Constable Martin Baker.

Winchester postman Shelton overtook Mr Baker on the A352 near Dorchester on November 27 last year.

He was travelling at over 100 miles per hour in his Mercedes and was more than three times over the legal drink-drive limit, Weymouth Magistrates Court heard.

Shelton admitted a charge of driving with excess alcohol.

Prosecutor Nicola Raynsford said: "At 11.35am, a Mercedes was seen by the Chief Constable driving at speed on the A352."

Mr Baker turned on his blue lights and accelerated to 100 miles per hour to keep pace with the Mercedes.

Magistrates were told Mr Baker, who was driving an unmarked police car, pulled Shelton over near the War Memorial junction on the Dorchester to Wareham road.

Mr Baker suspected alcohol was present in his system and heard that Mr Shelton had had alcohol the previous evening, Miss Raynsford added.

Shelton gave a breath test reading of 106mcg per 100 millilitres of breath, the court heard. The legal limit is 35mcg.

Mr Baker then arrested Shelton and took him to Weymouth police station.

Simon Lacey, mitigating, said Shelton turned to alcohol because he was under a lot of pressure at work and had just broken up with his long-term girlfriend.

He said: "Mr Shelton's parents own a cottage in Dorset and he came down for a few days to try and get away from it all.

"On the day of the offence he got up and was aware of the alcohol in his system from the day before. He got up and drove to the shop to buy some cigarettes."

Mr Lacey added that Shelton, of Winton Close, Winchester, has cut back on the amount of alcohol he drinks to moderate amounts.

"The whole thing has come as quite a shock and he very much regrets the whole episode," he added.

Janet Cridland, chairman of the bench, gave Shelton an 18-month community rehabilitation order, a £60 costs and disqualified him from driving for 21 months.

"We have taken into account your early guilty plea, but this was a very serious excess alcohol offence," she added.