A Feidling man was caught three times the drink-drive limit 26 hours after finishing a whisky bender.

A Feilding man managed to get so drunk on home brew whisky, he was caught three times the drink-drive limit 26 hours after his last drink.

Nathan Aaron Britton, 19, pleaded guilty in the Palmerston North District Court on Tuesday to drink-driving.

He was caught at a routine traffic stop in Feilding just after midnight on May 28, returning a reading of 706 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath. The legal limit is 250mg.

Defence lawyer Jacinda Younger said Britton had been drinking home brew whisky a day before his offending.

"He got absolutely paralytic."

The alcohol left in his system would have been there for 26 hours, she said.

"I have seen it before, given it's spirits and they get completely paralytic."

Britton, who the court heard was on a learner licence, wanted to pay a fine, despite having $12,000 in fines to pay.

Younger said he was paying them at $5 a week at the moment, but would top that up when he got more work.

Judge Gerard Lynch said the fines would take about seven years to pay off at that rate.

"It's plain you don't have any real way to pay a fine."

The case was a reminder to all of how long alcohol could stay in the system, the judge said.

He sentenced Britton to 50 hours' community work and disqualified him from driving for seven months.

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