TWO drivers who travelled for miles while close to three times the drink drive limit have been banned from the roads.

Dentist Shirish Ranjitsingh Solanki faces disciplinary proceedings from his professional body after he was caught driving from Leeds to York and back again, York magistrates heard.

His breath test gave a reading of 96 micrograms in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35.

In a separate case, Clare Elizabeth Cawker, 53, was more than three times the drink drive limit when she drove along the B1224 from west York to Tockwith on May 16.

She gave a reading of 125 micrograms in 100 millilitres of breath in a breath test.

Kathryn Reeve, prosecuting, said a member of the public dialled 999 when he saw the erratic actions of Solanki’s car while he was in York.

Police control alerted traffic officers who spotted Solanki swerving between the lanes on the A64 on May 17 near Bilbrough heading back towards Leeds.

Solanki’s solicitor Rachel Fletcher said he had been drinking at his home and had gone to York at the request of his girlfriend to pick her up from work.

The General Dental Council was aware of his arrest and would initiate its disciplinary procedure against him.

Solanki, 34, then of Marlowe Court, Garforth, and now living in Preston, Lancashire, pleaded guilty to drink driving.

He was banned from driving for 23 months, fined £1,153 and ordered to pay £85 prosecution costs and a £115 statutory surcharge.

Miss Fletcher said Solanki trained as a dentist in his native India and came to Britain nine years ago. After taking British dentistry training and working elsewhere in the UK, he had worked as a dentist in Leeds.

But he had had marital difficulties and that led to him needing counselling and deciding to give up dentistry.

He had had a very stressful week leading up to his arrest.

Cawker, of Acomb, pleaded guilty to drink driving.

In addition to the three-year driving ban, she was given a 12-month community order with ten rehabilitative days and ordered to pay £85 prosecution costs and a £85 statutory surcharge.