A NORTH Yorkshire woman has escaped a jail sentence, after she admitted driving a car with seven children in it while nearly four times over the drink-drive limit.

Angela Lowenthal, 39, was given a 12-month community rehabilitation order by Wycombe Magistrates' Court and a 30-month driving ban after pleading guilty to drink-driving.

Lowenthal, of Forest Lane, Harrogate, was stopped by police on April 13, in Town Lane, Wooburn Green, Buckinghamshire.

She is soon to move to Buckinghamshire and appeared before Wycombe magistrates on Monday.

Andy Callender, prosecuting, told the court officers saw a number of children getting into Lowenthal's green Audi 80. She was then seen driving erratically, and soon after, the officers pulled her over outside the Old Bell pub in Wooburn.

The court heard the officers found seven children in the back seat and smelled alcohol on Lowenthal's breath.

She was then arrested and taken to High Wycombe police station.

When breathalysed, Lowenthal was found to have 130 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35 microgrammes.

Lowenthal pleaded guilty to drink-driving last month.

The court heard she was a woman of good character, had no previous convictions and had a clean driving licence.

Arthur Roberts, chairman of the magistrates, said: "We acknowledge this was a very high reading. On this occasion we are not minded to impose a custodial sentence."

Updated: 10:59 Friday, May 23, 2003