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A hapless drink driver was caught out after he dialled 999 and asked for help to get his car out of some mud.

George Bond had been on a night out with pals in Whitley Bay when he decided to get behind the wheel of his dad's BMW and take a shortcut home.

A court was told that the shortcut involved the 22-year-old trying to drive across a field, only for him to get stuck in mud.

And, rather than own-up and ring his dad, Bond instead dialled 999 and asked the police for help getting the car out.

Officers attended and Bond failed a roadside breath test, later giving a reading of 62 microgrammes of alcohol in 100ml of breath, the legal limit being 35.

Now, the mechanic, of Helena Avenue, Whitley Bay, has been banned from the roads for 17 months after he pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol at North Tyneside Magistrates' Court.

Prosecutor, Jeff Taylor, said it was 1.50am on November 29 last year that Bond made the call to the emergency services.

He added: "Police received a telephone call from the defendant, a 999 call, saying he was stuck in mud.

"He's gone out in his father's BMW and tried to drive it across a field and got it stuck in mud. He's contacted police to tell them that."

Magistrates heard that, when the officers arrived and informed Bond that he was going to be breathalysed, he confessed that he would be over-the-limit.

Gerry Bass, defending, said Bond, who had no previous convictions, was embarrassed that he'd got stuck in mud and, after ringing a friend and the AA, decided to call the police.

He said: "He thought he would take a shortcut across a field to get home. He did that. It had been wet recently and he got stuck in the field.

"It was embarrassing for him because he was driving his dad's car. His first thought was that he didn't want to tell his dad."

Mr Bass said Bond worked hard as a mechanic for Speedway and wouldn't be able to continue his job until he got his licence back.

Magistrates also fined Bond £276 and ordered him to pay £85 costs and a £32 victim surcharge.