A “very generous” glass of whisky which an estate agent at St Mawes drank before driving home to Truro after working late lost him his licence when he appeared before Truro magistrates.

Mark Peter Willson, 47, of Benson Gardens, Truro, who pleaded guilty to drink driving, had swerved to avoid a vehicle coming towards him on his side of the road, lost control, and hit a telegraph pole, writing off his “very expensive” Jaguar car, the court heard.

After he was arrested following the crash on April 3 he tested at 75 mcg, more than twice the limit.

Chris Nicholls, his solicitor, said his client was full of remorse for his error of judgement. It was a culmination of a very stressful time in his office, where he had been doing the work of three people, working 75 hours a week. That night he had been working late to catch up when he did something he had never done before and poured himself a “very generous” glass of whisky and drank it.

Willson was fined £750 and told to pay £160 costs and surcharge and banned from driving for 18 months.