A drink driver who walked away from the scene after crashing her car was located nearby still holding the vehicle's keys.
Chloe Thomson was behind the wheel of her Citroen C1 when she collided with another car in the early hours of the morning on Plessey Road, in Blyth. However, instead of wait at the roadside, the 25-year-old student and her passenger walked off, a court was told.
Police attended and conducted a search of the area and found Thomson nearby, still holding the keys to her vehicle. She immediately confessed to being the driver and was arrested after failing a breath test.
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Thomson, of Fenwick Drive, in Blyth, has now been banned from the roads for 20 months after she pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol at South East Northumberland Magistrates' Court. She was also fined £242 and ordered to pay £85 costs and a £34 victim surcharge.
Niamh Reading, prosecuting, said police were called to reports of a two-vehicle collision on Plessey Road at around 3.20am on March 19 this year. She added: "A male and female had been witnessed walking off from the vehicle in the direction of William Street.
"Police attended and commenced a search. They located a female, who identified herself as the defendant. She was in possession of her car's keys at the time. She said the vehicle belonged to her. The officer thought she was intoxicated so escorted her to a marked police vehicle and she was asked to provide a roadside breath test."
Magistrates were told that Thomson was arrested after failing the test, later giving a reading of 82mcg of alcohol in 100ml of breath when the legal limit is 35.
Paul Dunn, defending, said Thomson was studying to be a personal trainer but worked part-time to supplement her studies. He added: "It's a very bitter lesson for her. The car has been written off and she has finance on it, so will have to continue to pay."
