Drink-drive ex-United player is banned after crashing £125k car

FORMER United player Danny Drinkwater is now planning to hire a chauffeur after he was banned from the road for drink- driving.

The Chelsea and England player, who lived at Bollington Lane, Nether Alderley, ploughed his £125,000 Range Rover through a wall while nearly two-and-a-half times the drink-drive limit.

Drinkwater, 29, must also complete 70 hours of unpaid work following the ‘serious’ crash which occurred as he drove home from a function with two women in his car.

The footballer rang emergency services following the smash, shortly before 12.15am on April 8, a court heard.

His car went through a wall on Ashley Road, Mere, near Tatton Park, Subi Chowdhury, prosecuting told Stockport Magistrates’ Court.

When paramedics and police arrived, Drinkwater was stood next to his badlydamaged vehicle.

He admitted he had been drinking.

His roadside test proved positive and he was taken to Middlewich police station, where he gave a reading of 87 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35. Drinkwater suffered a graze to his forehead and was checked over by medics, but didn’t need treatment, the court was told.

The women were not injured.

After time in the cells, Drinkwater, now of Oakshot, was later charged.

He pleaded guilty to drink-driving at a short hearing.

Robin Sellars, defending, said it was originally planned that a friend would drive Drinkwater home from the function.

But he said the pal ‘was in no position to drive home and that is where the error started’.

Drinkwater’s £125,000 Range Rover suffered over £50,000-worth of damage, the court heard.

“He accepts he only has himself to blame,” Mr Sellars said.

“He understands he has done wrong.

“He absolutely knows he’s going to be banned.’’

District Judge Mark Hadfield declined a request from his defence for him to be fined, telling him: “You will appreciate how serious this is.

“You were two-and-ahalf times the legal limit so you will have known that you shouldn’t have been driving.”

Drinkwater must also pay prosecution costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £85.