A DRINK-DRIVER who allegedly tried to hide behind a nativity scene after crashing his car has been banned from driving for 18 months.

Anthony Sambidge, 55, of Low Street, South Milford, was also fined £120 and ordered to pay costs of £80 when he appeared before York Magistrates on Friday.

He pleaded guilty to driving a car with 70 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath - twice the drink drive limit.

Katherine Reeve, prosecuting, said the incident happened at 2.40am on Saturday December 12 in Leeds Road,Tadcaster.

She said Sambidge's Mini car crashed into pedestrian railings and he then attempted to reverse away without success.

He then ran towards a brewery, where there was a nativity display, and police were called, and he was found hiding behind the nativity, covered in blood.

She said he had been convicted of a similar offence in 2010.

Kristian Cavanagh said in mitigation that Sambidge denied hiding behind the nativity, having got out of the car in a confused state after injuring himself in the accident.

He said Sambidge, who suffered from diabetes, had worked for 19 hours and then had two drinks after work.

He said he should be given credit for making a guilty plea at the earliest possible opportunity.

He had been a pub landlord for 29 years at a number of pubs and disqualification would hit him very hard, as his wife was extremely poorly.

Magistrates told Sambidge the length of his disqualification could be reduced by several months if he attended a drink-drive rehabilitation course at some time within the next year.

After police tweeted about his arrest and The Press reported on the case, it was reported by media outlets around the world.