A DRINK-driving alcoholic narrowly avoided hitting motorists several times on the A44 near Aberystwyth while four times the limit, magistrates heard.

Michael Gwyn Davies told police he had driven from north Wales to Aberystwyth to see family members knowing he was over the limit, but saying that he felt okay because he has a higher tolerance for alcohol as he is an alcoholic.

Davies, 43, pleaded guilty to drink-driving on 24 May after other motorists who spoke to him when he pulled over took his keys off him and called the police.

Rhian Jones, prosecuting, said police were called to Lovesgrove at around 6pm by Paul Lloyd Jones who said his partner was driving behind Davies and they had seen his car swaying across the road, narrowly missing a cyclist and tractor.

Mr Lloyd Jones’s partner Emma Davies beeped the horn in an effort to get Davies, of 28 Eglwys Close in Buckley, to pull over, but they saw him just miss hitting another vehicle before he eventually did pull into a layby.

When the couple spoke to him they said Davies was clearly drunk and was slurring his words and smelt strongly of alcohol, but that when they told him how dangerous his driving had been he said he didn’t know what the problem was.

In an interview with police officers Davies admitted being an alcoholic and said he had been through a detox, but relapsed.

He said that while he knew he would be over the limit, he said he felt fine to drive.

Defence solicitor Alan Lewis said Davies has suffered from a long-term drinking problem and had tried to detox several times.

Mr Lewis said Davies’s wife had left him a couple of weeks before the offence and that he had felt he needed to stay with family members in Aberystwyth to help him and had chosen to drive after driving ten cans of cider the previous day and seven cans on the day he was arrested.

He added that Davies was “crying out for help” and hoped the probation service would be able to assist him.

Davies was given a 12-month community order with 40 rehabilitation requirement days. He was banned from driving for 32 months and will pay a fine of £120 and costs totalling £170.