A haulage firm boss has been banned from driving for a year after being caught behind the wheel while over the limit.

Paul Merrett, 49, of Millcroft, Westdean, who oversees a fleet of six lorries, was fined £275 and ordered to pay £55 costs by magistrates in Brighton yesterday.

The court heard Merrett was on his way home from the pub on a Sunday afternoon in May when he was stopped by police on patrol in Surrenden Crescent because they suspected he was speeding.

He failed a roadside breath test and at the police station a test showed 47mg of alcohol in 100ml of breath. The legal limit is 35mg.