A DRIVER was almost three times over the legal limit, drinking out of a bottle of vodka and using a mobile phone, whilst behind the wheel of a lorry on the A35 near Bridport, a court heard.

Andrew Ritchie, 29, was sentenced after pleading guilty to one count of driving a vehicle whilst over the legal alcohol limit.

Dashcam footage shown to Weymouth Magistrates Court shows Ritchie driving at night swerving on the A35. In the reflection of his windscreen Ritchie could be seen picking up a bottle, trying to take cigarettes out of a packet and using a mobile phone, all whilst driving a HGV.

Prosecuting, Elizabeth Valera, said on April 20 this year, police were on patrol on the A35 near Bridport when they spotted an HGV lorry 'driving erratically'.

An officer saw the vehicle swerving and was going onto the other side of the carriageway and back towards the grass verge, mounting it, and then going across the centre white line.

Ms Valera said the swerving was causing the trailer attached to the lorry to swing side to side.

In a statement read out to court, the officer said: "I was horrified to see how the vehicle was being driven in such a dangerous manner."

Police stopped the vehicle and when asked why he was being stopped the defendant said he was on his mobile phone.

The officer noticed the man was having difficulty walking and said he was stumbling and struggling to speak. The defendant told police that he had not had a drink that night, and again told them he was on his mobile phone.

Ritchie, of Ottery St Mary, Devon failed the roadside test and when breathalysed gave a reading of 104 microgrammes of alcohol in 100ml of breath. The legal limit is 35mcg.

Police said at the time of his arrest: "Shockingly, the driver of the lorry failed a roadside breath test. Thankfully his actions didn't result in a serious or fatal accident."

The mitigating lawyer for Ritchie read out a statement from the defendant expressing his 'sincere remorse' for his 'unacceptable behaviour', saying: "I make absolutely no excuse for what I did."

The court heard that Ritchie lived with his widowed mother and in 2019 had watched his father die 'a slow and painful death'.

At the time of the offence, Ritchie was said to be due in the family court.

Chair of the bench, Sara Saunders, said: "I am shocked after watching that footage. That is such an unacceptable standard of driving.

"We were all very shocked that you thought you could drive and do those things.

"You are very lucky nothing happened whilst you were driving."

Ritchie was sentenced to 12 weeks imprisonment suspended for 18 months. He is also subject to an alcohol abstinence monitoring requirement for 90 days and undertake 30 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement days as well as 200 hours of unpaid work.

The defendant was disqualified from driving for 40 months and must pay a £128 victim surcharge and £85 towards costs.