A developer was caught more than three times over the drink drive limit – after crashing his top-of-the-range BMW on a country lane.

Luke Carter, 41, of company LC Homes, was behind the wheel of a 2019-plate BMW 7-series when he crashed it into a ditch Cuckoo Lane, Eynsham, on September 15 last year.

The smash was witnessed by another driver, who was directly in front of the saloon when Carter lost control.

The second driver called the emergency services and waited with the defendant until paramedics and police officers arrived.

Officers breathalysed Carter at the scene. He blew 144mcgs of alcohol in 100ml of breath; four times of the legal limit of 35mcgs.

The drover was taken to hospital, where he agreed to provide a blood sample so it could be analysed. That check later showed he had 255 milligrammes of alcohol in 100ml of breath; the legal limit is 80.

Carter admitted what he’d done when he was interviewed by the police. He claimed he’d swerved into the ditch to avoid a van.

Appearing before Oxford Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, Carter, of Barnard Gate, Witney, pleaded guilty to drink driving.

Prosecutor Nony Umenyiora said Carter had one previous conviction from 2001 for being drunk in charge.

In mitigation, Carter was said to have written a letter of remorse to the bench and had four references in his support.

He had just completed a four-week alcohol detox programme, paid for out of his own pocket, and was now regularly attending Alcoholics Anonymous sessions in Oxford.

Carter ran his own property development company. The high-pressure job earned him £4,500-a-month but saw him work six days a week both on site and in the office.

He had a partner, with whom he was not currently living, and a daughter by a previous relationship.

A probation officer, who interviewed him for a ‘stand down report’, told the magistrates that although they could offer an alcohol treatment requirement as part of a community order, Carter was already receiving support for his addiction. He was said to be willing to do unpaid work.

After retiring to consider their decision, the panel of three magistrates fined him £1,730 and ordered he pay £85 costs and a £173 victim surcharge.

He was disqualified from driving for 26 months.

Penalties for drink driving can range from a fine to six months behind bars for the worst offenders. The length of the driving ban depends on whether the defendant has previous convictions for driving under the influence and the level of their intoxication when they were caught.