A drink-driver who missed knocking down a police officer by a matter of inches has been jailed for four months.

Alcoholic Alan Wilmott Lewis, 30, of Merevale, Brighton, was more than three times the legal limit when the near-miss happened in Hangleton, Hove.

The father-of-three admitted charges of drink-driving and dangerous driving.

Brighton magistrates also banned the defendant, who has two previous convictions for drink-driving, for five years.

David Packer, prosecuting, told the court that two police officers, an inspector and a sergeant were in Hangleton on the night of August 24, when they saw Wilmott Lewis's red VW Golf being driven erratically.

They were waiting to cross the road and he narrowly missed hitting one of them when he shouted a warning to the others to get out of the way.

Mr Packer said the police accepted Wilmott Lewis was not driving deliberately at the officers.

During a pursuit, the Golf crossed over to the wrong side of the road and passed through a junction at speed.

It reached speeds of up to 80mph before it eventually stopped.

A test showed Wilmott Lewis had 133mg of alcohol in 100ml of breath. The legal limit is 35mg.

He told officers he was alcoholic and had gone out in his car after a row with his wife. He had drunk two bottles of wine earlier in the evening.

Wilmott Lewis said as soon as he realised it was the police following him, he stopped the car.