The celebrations of a man given the all-clear to drink alcohol following heart surgery ended with him crashing into two cars while more than double the legal limit.

Mark Ardron, from Ashford, had been out toasting his good news when he decided to jump behind the wheel of his Land Rover Discovery.

It was an “idiotic” decision that would later leave him “disgusted and ashamed”, as he was arrested after colliding with two parked vehicles in Ashford Road, Tenterden.

The 44-year-old, who runs a firm converting high-end classic cars into electric vehicles, was unsteady on his feet and smelled of booze when officers arrived at the scene.

A roadside test showed he had 92 micrograms of alcohol in 100ml of his breath - the legal limit is 35.

Further tests in hospital, where he had been taken because of his involvement in a crash, showed a reading of 227 milligrammes of alcohol in 100ml of urine - more than double the legal limit of 107.

Ardron, of Ashford Road, Bethersden, Ashford, was charged with drink-driving and admitted the offence when he appeared before Maidstone magistrates last Tuesday (Feb 21).

The court was told Ardron, who earns about £74,000 a year running his Woodchurch-based firm, Relik, had been told by doctors he could drink alcohol again following two heart operations.

The businessman, who also volunteers as a lifeboat crew member, caused significant damage to the two other cars in the crash on October 2 last year.

While in the dock he read out a letter admitting his behaviour had been shameful.

"I am disgusted and ashamed that I put other lives at risk,” he said.

“I can't forgive myself, it was totally out of character. I made an idiotic decision."

Ardron told magistrates he test-drives the vehicles he works on, and that losing his licence would have some impact on his firm.

"I will never drink and drive again," he added.

Magistrates banned Ardron from driving for 17 months and fined him £692.

He was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £277 and £85 court costs.