AN alcoholic banned from drinking in York city centre was back on the booze and back in the cells only hours after being released from prison.

Karen Ann Bulmer, 41, left prison in Durham, bought some drink, caught the train back to York and was promptly arrested again for having alcohol in the city centre.

Bulmer was arrested in York on Monday in George Hudson Street for breaching her ASBO.

She appeared at York Magistrates' Court on Tuesday.

Prosecuting, Emma Pearce said Bulmer was banned by the ASBO from having open alcohol containers in Leeds city centre or York city centre, as defined by the inner ring road.

But she was seen by a police officer at 4.45pm in a doorway of the Jumbo Chinese restaurant.

Ms Pearce said: “She was in drink and he saw a can of super strength lager in her pocket.”

Mitigating, Craig Robertson told the court his client had breached the ASBO on various occasions but said she did not really understand what it was about. He also claimed it was a very low level breach.

He said: “She has a disease, she is an alcoholic. She cooperated fully with the police although she could not remember this incident.”

The chairman of the bench, David Horton, said that as Bulmer had spent nearly 24 hours in custody waiting for her court appearance, she would have to spend just a further two hours in the cells below the court before being released.