A DRINK driver who 'changed the lives of an elderly couple forever' has been banned from driving.

Frazer Eldridge from Poole, was banned from driving for 23 months after the two car crash in Blandford Road in July.

He appeared in Poole Magistrates Court on Friday, December 1, where he pleaded guilty to drink driving and was disqualified, as well as being handed a 30-month conditional discharge.

Eldridge was returning home from a party and "travelling at speed" when his vehicle went on the wrong side of the road and hit the other car head-on, said a spokesperson for Dorset Police No Excuse.

And when he was arrested and alcohol tested, the results showed he had 207 milligrams of alcohol per 100 ml of blood - double the drink drive limit.

The two people in the other car – a 71-year-old and a 79-year-old – were returning home from a holiday in France.

The 71-year-old suffered serious injuries and is still recovering, a No Excuse spokesperson said.

"Mr Eldridge was lucky that this didn't result in life changing injuries or a fatality," the spokesperson said.

"This collision has changed the lives of the elderly couple forever.

"If you are going out and plan on drinking alcohol plan your journey home, do not take the risk of risking your life and the lives of others by drink or drug driving."

At the time, the couple issued a message of thanks to people to brought them blankets and held their hands until the arrival of the emergency services.

The sentence comes as Dorset Police and the No Excuse team urge people to stop putting themselves and others at risk through reckless drink driving.

On Saturday, in the space of two hours, the team stopped and breath tested 52 motorists as part of the Morning After campaign.

Three of the motorists were arrested for drug driving.

The first included a 42-year-old man who nearly collided with an unmarked police car and who tested positive for cocaine. He was also arrested for no insurance, driving without due care and attention and no MOT.

The second arrest was a 26 year old male who was stopped due to a brake light out.

The driver was on his way home from a night out in Bournemouth and had been drinking but was under the limit. However, he did test positive for cannabis.

The third motorist was exceeding the speed limit in Poole and passed an alcohol breath test but tested positive for cocaine.