A SELBY man was caught "paddling" his motorcycle while nearly three times over the drink-drive limit.

David Glassford, 23, was banned from driving for 23 months after police officers saw him using his legs to propel his moped, in Low Street, Sherburn-in-Elmet.

Louise Reevell, prosecuting, said fork-lift driver Glassford, of Deerpark Court, Monk Fryston, was unable to provide a sample and was arrested.

He was later found to have 236 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood. The legal limit is 80 milligrammes.

Jane Pattison, mitigating, said Glassford parked his moped outside the Swan Pub, in Sherburn-in-Elmet, after finishing a day at work, with the intention of leaving it parked there all night.

She said her client was in the pub until about 9pm, drinking pints of lager and Bacardi and Coke. He then phoned his friend, who agreed to join him for a drink.

Miss Pattison said Glassford's friend suggested he bring the moped and park it outside his house, in Highfields, instead.

She said: "Although he accepts it was a foolish decision, he agreed to take his bike to his friend's house.

"It's fair to say he didn't just hop on his bike and turn on the engine. He got on to release the steering lock, then paddled the bike with the intention of paddling it all the way."

Presiding magistrate Sheila Bruce said Glassford had a very high reading of alcohol in his blood.

Glassford was also given a 40-hour community punishment order and ordered to pay £40 costs.

Updated: 14:58 Friday, July 25, 2003