A MORETON-IN-MARSH father-of-three lost control of his vintage tractor and ploughed into a wall at a Northleach house while almost twice the drink-drive limit, a court was told today.

Mathew Rose, 30, of Fosseway Avenue, Moreton-in-Marsh pleaded guilty at Cheltenham Magistrates court to drink-driving, driving while disqualified and without insurance.

The court was told Rose was driving his 1962 Fordson tractor home from a steam and vintage vehicles show in a nearby field when the collision happened.

Said prosecuting lawyer Jessica Dobson: “On the evening of September 7, this year the defendant’s tractor hit a dry-stone wall around the garden of a house in Eastington Road, Northleach and caused severe damage.

“The defendant approached the homeowner and apologised. He said that the brakes had failed on the tractor and he lost control.”

The court was told that beforehand Rose had taken the tractor to a show and had had a couple of drinks there.

“The defendant was convicted of dangerous driving in 2013 and banned for three years and ordered to take an extended test, which he has not done,” said Ms Dobson.

Defending lawyer Christopher Edwards said: “This is an unusual case. My client had taken the 1962 vintage tractor, which has been in the family for many years, to a show on a trailer.

“He was not intending to drive the tractor home but after the show some others decided to drive the one-mile distance from the showground to Northleach town centre and, in the excitement, he foolishly joined them.”

The court heard that a pin on the front axle of the tractor had snapped and the vehicle had gone out of control and had hit the wall.

“The tractor was only capable of travelling at about ten miles an hour anyway and afterwards my client went back to the showground and returned with a lorry to pull the tractor back home,” said Mr Edwards.

Rose offered to pay the homeowner compensation for the damaged wall but the offer was declined, the court was told.

The police were waiting for Rose when he returned and he was breathalysed and arrested.

The defendant had 62 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, the legal limit being 35 micrograms.

Magistrates banned him from driving for three and a half years, fined him £672 and ordered him to pay prosecution costs of £85.