A woman who swerved into the path of an ambulance while drink driving has been banned from the road.

Alysha Dix, aged 26, admitted to drink-driving at Weymouth Magistrates Court on Thursday.

The court heard a member of the public called the police after they saw Dix swerve onto the wrong side of the A354 and into the path of an ambulance.

In a statement read in court the member of the public said they were driving home from work at approximately 2.30am on January 20 when they began to follow a Mazda on the Weymouth Relief Road.

"It was the only car in front of me. I caught up with the vehicle and slow down to about 40mph as the vehicle climbs up onto the Ridgeway," she said.

The member of the public said the vehicle then began to move into the grass verge on the side of the road before swerving the other way onto the wrong side of the road.

"I saw an ambulance was coming and the car was across the central white line. Fortunately she pulled the vehicle back quickly enough but at this stage I called the police," she said.

The member of the public then followed Dix drive into Weymouth and watched her get out of her car and walk off down Franchise Street and directed police to her position.

Police arrested Dix as she was walking away from her car and she failed a roadside breath test.

Dix, of Drayton St Leonard in Oxfordshire, was found to have 77 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath when tested at the police station at nearly 5am. The legal limit is 35 microgrammes.

When interviewed by police Dix told them she "had a few cans of Stella and just went for a walk" and denied being behind the wheel.

She later accepted she was the driver.

The court heard this was the second time Dix had been caught drink-driving and had been previously convicted of driving under the influence in January 2012.

Dix, who was unrepresented, told magistrates: "I was going through a rough time. I had just spent the week watching my granddad die. He passed away on the Friday before.

"I was emotional. I made a rash decision. It was silly and I apologise."

Dix was banned from driving for 40 months, fined £276 and ordered to pay costs and a victim surcharge.