Driving ban for Cheshire councillor four times over the limit

Matthew Bryan was given a three-year driving ban

A councillor has said he is "ashamed" at being caught four times over the drink-driving limit.

Matthew Bryan was stopped by police in Chester on 9 August, initially denying he had been drinking before stumbling out of his car.

After a breathalyser test, officers were so concerned they took him to hospital.

Bryan was given a three-year driving ban after pleading guilty to driving a vehicle while over the alcohol limit.

The 37-year-old, who represents Upton as an Independent, told Chester Magistrates Court it had been a "horrific year" following the loss of both parents-in-law and a close friend.

He also claimed he had been driving to try to help a homeless person when the incident took place in Eastgate Street.

He said he was "really ashamed," adding: "I'm not looking for sympathy, I seek the mercy of the court."

The Cheshire West and Chester councillor was also given a 12-month community order and will have to do 200 hours of unpaid work.

He will also have to go on a drink-driving awareness course at his own expense, and pay £120 in court costs.

Bryan will be subject to 120 days of alcohol abstinence monitoring, which means he cannot drink alcohol during that period and will have to wear an electronic leg tag.

Until last year, he had been a high-profile member of the ruling Labour group and the council's cabinet member for energy, green spaces and climate emergency.

But last September, it was announced he had resigned his cabinet post citing personal reasons and he also had the whip withdrawn by the Labour group.

No further explanation was given by either Bryan or the Labour group at the time.

Bryan currently stands as a non-aligned Independent.