A woman woman who crashed her car while over the drink-drive limit managed to get out of the vehicle, which was only stopped from ploughing into a river because it hit a tree.

Amy Savinelli, of Sunnydale, Lloyd Terrace, Adpar, pleaded guilty to drink-driving on 28 October when her car left the road and careered down an embankment on the B4335.

Helen Tench, prosecuting, said police were called at around 6pm to a crash involving one car.

When they arrived, a fire crew were already on the scene and informed the police that the car had crashed down the embankment and was being held up from falling into the river by a tree.

Savinelli, 26, was sitting in the fire engine and told police that she had been driving and had drunk alcohol earlier in the day.

She was taken to hospital for treatment for a neck injury and blood was taken which showed she had 110 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood. The legal limit is 80.

Defence solicitor Katy Hanson said Savinelli was very remorseful about what had happened.

She added: “This was very much a one-off incident and totally out of character for her.”

Magistrates imposed a 14-month driving ban. Savinelli was also fined £83 and will pay costs of £115.