A POOLE mum was nearly three times the drink drive limit when she was pulled over with her baby on the passenger seat, a court heard.

Deborah Anne Poulton, 38, was driving through Poole to her parents’ house on April 29 when another driver reported seeing her Fiat Seicento weaving dangerously across the road, mounting the kerb and almost colliding with a cyclist.

Bournemouth Magistrates’ Court heard that when officers pulled her over in Wroxham Road they discovered her 13-month-old daughter in the car alongside her.

Prosecutor Heather Jackson said: “She went to visit a friend during the day, then left her daughter with her friend to drive to the Co-op to buy cigarette papers and wine.

“In her car was a Lucozade bottle containing vodka from which she was drinking. The police received a call about her demeanour from the store, she had slurred speech.

“She returned to her friend’s address in the car and consumed the bottle of Lucozade and vodka.”

She said Poulton then left with her daughter in the car, and was described as “almost crashing several times”.

The baby was picked up by the child’s father and she was arrested.

Poulton, of Cynthia Road, admitted drink-driving, with a reading of 103 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath.

A separate charge of being drunk in charge of a child was dropped.

In mitigation, Mark Proctor said she had “turned to alcohol as a means to deal with other issues in her life”.

“She was very forthcoming in her interview with the police and very apologetic for her actions,” he said.

“She hadn’t felt under the influence of alcohol when she got into the car.”

He said she had taken to hiding alcohol in her car as her partner did not like to have it in the house after her drinking “spiralled out of control”.

The case was adjourned and Poulton was released on unconditional bail to return to the court on June 10 for sentencing.

'Morning after' warning

DORSET Police has carried out a series of roadside checks at the start of its summer campaign against driving under the influence of drink or drugs.

Police are reminding drivers to ensure they are fit to drive the morning after drinking – and are extending this year’s campaign to coincide with late opening hours during the World Cup.

The campaign started on Sunday with a series of checks targeting drivers who might still be over the limit the next day.

Day one saw a man charged after a collision in Wimborne Road, Bournemouth, in which a Mercedes left the road and struck a tree. The driver was uninjured.

A 23-year-old Bournemouth man was charged with driving while over the limit and without insurance.

Sergeant Nikki Burt, from Dorset Police’s Traffic Unit, said: “We don’t want to stop people having a good time but we will do everything we can to make Dorset’s roads safer for everyone using them.

“The morning after can be just as dangerous as the night before so if you have been drinking into the night, there is a strong chance that you may not be fit to drive the morning after, and no amount of cold showers or black coffee will change that.

“Drivers need to be aware that regardless of the time of day they are caught, they will face the same penalties as someone who has chosen to drink heavily in a pub and driven at night.”

Anyone caught drink driving faces a minimum 12-month driving ban up to six months in prison and a fine of up to £5,000, she said.

Details of the cases will also be publicised in the Daily, along with custody pictures.

This year’s campaign runs until July 31, to cover the period when bars and pubs will be opening late to show World Cup football.

Sergeant Burt added: “We are calling on members of the public to call 999 immediately if they suspect someone of drink driving so we can intercept. Non-urgent information can be reported on 101.”