A youth worker told a court he was "totally ashamed" of his actions after being sentenced for drink driving following an accident which left his wife injured.

Martin Foster of Tyack Road, Helston was banned from driving for 16 months by Truro magistrates after pleading guilty to drink driving.

The court heard that Foster, 38, was returning from his wife's grandmother's funeral with her as a passenger when the accident happened on March 3.

Prosecutor Alison May said at around 10.30pm police came across the white Citroen Berlingo turned on its side on Botetoe Hill, B3303, Crowan blocking the road.

Nearby they found Foster and his wife in blankets. He was uninjured but she was complaining of sore ribs and she had a cut to her head.

Because of their demeanour the officers suspected that both of them were under the influence of alcohol. They explained that they had been to a funeral and were on their way home to Helston when the accident happened.

He was arrested as the driver but both were taken to hospital because of concerns over injuries.

A blood test there showed he had 134 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood where the limit is 80mg.

He told the police he was driving his van when all of a sudden the vehicle was on its side. They both clambered out of the passenger side of the van and other drivers stopped to help them. He told the police he could not remember what happened but there was a "flash and a bang".

His wife was later found to have fractured her ribs and had two fractured vertebrae in her neck and had to wear a neck brace for many weeks.

He told the police he was ashamed of his behaviour and the danger he'd put his wife in.

Foster told magistrates that it was his first time he had been in court and it was his last, as they would never see him again.

He said he had stopped drinking and felt "deep, deep shame" for what had happened not least because he was a youth worker who young people were supposed to look up to as a role model. 

He said he was very, very aware of the severity of what had happened but handed in two references from his employers.

He said keeping his driving licence was very, very important for his job but said he was probably "wasting my time" asking for them not to take it away.

He told magistrates he'd been at his wife's grandmother's funeral before the accident happened and at the wake there had been a bit of trouble and wanted to get his wife away from it so had decided to drive home.

"It was stupidity," he said. "I shouldn't have done it."

As well as being banned, Foster was also fined £276, ordered to pay a surcharge of £34 and costs of £85. Credit was given for his guilty plea.