Drunk school bus driver jailed

A bus driver who ferried more than 40 children to school while he was nearly twice the drink-drive limit after an all-day drinking session was jailed for three months yesterday.

Michael Smith, 46, drove more than nine miles to a secondary school in Llanelli, west Wales, after spending the previous day alone reading and drinking lager.

He was caught by police officers as he parked the single-decker bus outside Ysgol y Strade Comprehensive School at 8.30am on 15 April.

Llanelli magistrates were told that Smith, who was on a routine school run from the nearby village of Kidwelly, broke down when a policeman boarded the bus and asked him to take a breath test. Smith had 67 micrograms of alcohol for every 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35 micrograms.

Ann Thomas, sentencing Smith after he admitted one charge of drink-driving, said prison was necessary because he had been over the limit while responsible for a large number of children.

Robert Powell, for the defence, said Smith had finished drinking at 11pm on the evening before the incident, and was "deeply ashamed".