A drink-driver who ran a red light as police tried to pull him over has been banned from getting behind the wheel for more than a year.

David John Benson, of Causeway Road, Seaton, appeared before magistrates in Workington today charged with driving a car while over the drink drive limit, failing to stop when required by a police constable and not complying with traffic light signals.

The 55-year-old pleaded guilty to all three offences.

Diane Jackson, prosecuting, told the court that Benson was spotted by police driving his blue Range Rover on the A596 near Northside without dipped headlights at about 3am on May 25.

"They did make attempts to stop his vehicle but he failed to stop for them despite them activating lights and sirens," she said.

The court heard Benson then drove through temporary traffic lights despite them showing a red light before turning off into a field, driving back onto the road and finally stopping.

A breath test carried out at the police station found he had 46 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35 microgrammes.

Magistrates were told that Benson admitted in his police interview that he was aware of the car with sirens blaring behind him but claimed he thought it might be trying to get past to attend an incident.

He also admitted driving through the red light and said he did so often if he could see there was no traffic coming in the other direction, and accepted he should have stopped for the police.

Benson, who was representing himself, did not offer any mitigation.

He also declined the drink drive rehabilitation course which could have reduced his ban by a quarter.

Magistrates banned him from driving for 14 months and ordered him to pay £235.