A 37-YEAR-OLD Wye Valley man who was found drunk and unconscious at the wheel of a car in the Shetlands said he had been “blown away” by the hospitality on the islands.

Christopher Barnard, of Itton Road, St Arvans near Chepstow, was more than four times the Scottish drink drive limit (nearly 2.5 times the English/Welsh limit) when his stationary car was found half in the road, a court in Lerwick heard.

A passing motorist on the A970 near Northpunds, Levenwick, saw the car lights off but the hazard lights flashing, and found the driver slumped over the steering wheel around 7.30pm on Sunday, January 28.

An ambulance and police were called after he couldn't be raised by knocking on the window, and a rear window smashed to get in.

Procurator fiscal Duncan MacKenzie said Barnard was “clearly very drunk” and “in and out of consciousness”.

Tommy Allen, defending, said he had been struggling with personal issues and the incident had come as “a shock to him”.

He told his solicitor he had been “blown away” by people's generosity, and had recieved "amazing treatment”.

Barnard admitted drink driving and was banned for 12 months and ordered to pay a £600 fine.

The ban can be reduced to nine months if he takes a drink-driving awareness course.