Drunk South Shields woman crashed into two cars and a wall during teatime drive in Honda Civic

Rail firm worker Amy Treadwell, 39, was so drunk she could not even open the window of her Honda Civic when a stunned witness tried to swipe her keys.

Her alcohol-fuelled horror trip saw her collide with vehicles in Lumley Avenue, near Horsley Hill, South Shields, at 4.30pm on Wednesday, March 31.

Treadwell, of nearby Chirton Avenue, only came to a stop when she mounted a curb and hit the wall, a court heard.

She stunk of booze and four unopened cans of alcohol were found on her lap when she finally responded to requests to turn the engine off.

Borough magistrates jailed her for 18 weeks, suspended for 18 months – and banned her from driving for three years.

They said she was on a final warning to turn her life around after hearing she blew 157mcgs of alcohol in 100mls of breath. The legal limit is 35mcgs.

Prosecutor Leanne Duffy said: “A witness was walking along Lumley Avenue. She approached the junction with Fulwell Avenue.

“There was a build-up of around six vehicles behind a red Honda Civic. She noticed the left wing mirror of the Civic was hanging off.

“The Honda drove off and hit another vehicle in Lumley Avenue, and continued to drive off, looking like it was repeatedly stalling.

“The witness got to the junction with Chirton Avenue and saw the Civic stationary. She went over and knocked on the driver’s window.

“The driver struggled to open the window and when she finally did, the witness took the key from the ignition to stop her potentially driving off again.”

Ms Duffy added: “Another witness saw the defendant mount a curb and hit the wall of a garden.

“There was also alcohol inside the vehicle, and a strong smell of it coming from the defendant.

“The guidelines for a reading of up to 150mls and above are a starting point of 12 weeks imprisonment.

“The crown say that this is an unacceptable standard of driving. She had more than one collision, and has collided with the wall of a house.”

The court heard Treadwell had been unable or unwilling to address her alcohol issues, but her court appearance had been a “wake-up call”.

Duncan Emmerson, defending, urged magistrates not to jail Treadwell, who is employed by LNER.

He said: “She will lose everything, her home, her job. She feels this is a wake-up call and may be her chance.

“This is within the custody band, but if you are minded to impose that, I ask you to suspend.”

Magistrates ordered Treadwell to undertake 20 days of rehabilitation work with the Probation Service.

And she must complete an alcohol abstinence mandatory requirement to ensure she does not drink.

Treadwell, who pleaded guilty to drink driving, was also ordered to pay a £120 victim surcharge and £85 court costs.

After being sentenced, she told the court: “It keeps me awake at night. I could have killed someone.”

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