A woman caught nearly four times the drink drive limit has been fined and banned.

Jenna McClunie committed the offence while driving in Townhead, Mill Road and Watson Terrace, Irvine, on September 6.

Kilmarnock Sheriff Court heard last week how police on patrol in a marked vehicle saw the 22-year-old driving at around 1.20am.

They witnessed McClunie’s vehicle swerve into the opposing lane causing another car to stop.

After her car turned into the nearside lane, police turned on their blue lights and indicated for McClunie to stop.

Once McClunie pulled over, the officers noted she was the only person in the vehicle and detected a smell of alcohol.

The court heard that McClunie claimed that she had a large glass of wine an hour before she was stopped.

She failed the roadside breath test and was taken to Saltcoats Police Office where she produced a reading of 79 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 mililitres of breath, exceeding the limit of 22 microgrammes.

McClunie appeared at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court last week and pled guilty.

After hearing the details of McClunie’s offence, presiding Sheriff Elizabeth McFarlane quipped: “Must have been a really large glass of wine.” Peter Murray, defending, said McClunie, of Irvine’s Pennant Court, a first offender, had “clearly understated” the level of alcohol she consumed that night.

He revealed that McClunie works as full-time as a shop assistant earning £1,200 per month.

Mr Murray explained that on the night in question, McClunie was out drinking with friends and parked her car in the East Road car park with no intention of driving.

But after a night of drinking and eventually splitting from her friends, Mr Murray said McClunie made the “foolish decision” to drive the short distance home.

He insisted McClunie was “extremely upset” at the stupidity of her actions and cooperated fully with the police.

Sheriff McFarlane was unimpressed with McClunie’s actions.

When passing sentence, she said: “I suspect the reason you took your car is your judgement was seriously impaired.

“I wish people like you would decide not to take the car in the first place so that the temptation is not there.” McClunie was fined £680 and disqualified from driving for 18 months.

Her ban will be reduced by three months if she completes a drink-drive rehabilitation scheme.