A PUB chef whose car was found burning in a field has been banned from driving after admitting he had been over the drink-drive limit when he crashed Peter Reed was on his way home to Pendragon Hill in Papworth Everard after finishing a shift at the King

A PUB chef whose car was found burning in a field has been banned from driving after admitting he had been over the drink-drive limit when he crashed

Peter Reed was on his way home to Pendragon Hill in Papworth Everard after finishing a shift at the King William pub in Fenstanton when he crashed his VW Golf.

Cambridgeshire police were called to the field at the side of the B1040 - between Fenstanton and Papworth - in the early hours of Sunday, January 28.

They found Reed's car, empty, on fire, and with the registration plates removed.

Officers discovered the car was registered to Reed at a house four miles from the scene of the crash and it was there that they found the 20-year-old who had sustained cuts and bruises to his face.

At Huntingdon Magistrates' Court on Thursday, prosecutor Christopher Jeyes told the court Reed initially claimed his car had been stolen from outside his house.

He later accepted he had drunkenly driven home from work and in court pleaded guilty to a charge of driving with excess alcohol.

However, during police interviews Reed told officers he had no idea of the whereabouts of his car's registration plates, or how the VW Golf had been set alight.

Reed recorded a reading of 62 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millimetres of breath. The legal limit is 35 micrograms.

Mitigating, David Potter said Reed had been 'foolish' to act as he had and had felt he was safe to drive home.

He said Reed, who has a previous conviction for drunk and disorderly behaviour, was in danger of losing his job because of his actions.

Magistrates banned Reed from driving for 16 months, fined him £200 and ordered him to pay £35 costs.

He was offered the chance to reduce his ban by taking a drink-drive rehabilitation course.