A man drowned his sorrows after finding out his girlfriend had been cheating on him – and then got behind the wheel and crashed his car.

Daniel Jones, from Ramsgate, lost control of his VW Golf, crossed a roundabout, hit a lamppost, swerved down a bank at the side of the A256 in Dover and ended up in a bush.

The 47-year-old was arrested on suspicion of drink-driving and later admitted he “wasn’t thinking straight” at the time of the smash.

Folkestone Magistrates Court heard an off-duty police officer was the first person at the scene of the collision, just before 9pm on Saturday, September 30.

Julie Farbrace, prosecuting, said: “A woman also stopped at the scene and the off-duty officer said [Jones] seemed to appear to attempt to drive off as he was revving the engine.”

When police arrived, Jones was given a roadside breath test, and it proved positive. He was also given a test for drugs which proved negative.

However, back at the police station, despite being warned it was an offence if he didn’t provide further breath samples, Jones refused to do so. He made no comment when he was interviewed about the matter by officers.

Jones, of Nelson Crescent, Ramsgate, was later charged and admitted failing to provide a specimen when he appeared before magistrates on December 14.

Ms Farbrace added: “He does have a previous similar conviction in 2002, but at the time [of this offence] he had a full and clean licence.

“There was a high level of impairment. He hit a lamppost and ended up down a bank.”

Defending himself, Jones, who is self-employed, said he’d had a bad week and had learnt that his girlfriend was seeing someone else.

He added: “A friend bought me a drink to calm down and, yes, I had drinks. It was the wrong thing to do, I wasn’t thinking straight.

“I panicked. I am a good citizen and my arrest was an ordeal. I wasn’t thinking straight. I just shut down.

“As soon as I woke up in the morning, I knew I had done the wrong thing.

“It is out of character for me - I am not a regular drinker.

“I have been teetotal for a very long time and it was unusual for me to drink. I sincerely apologise.”

Magistrates were also told Jones had not touched a drop of alcohol since the incident.

The bench decided to place him on a 12-month community order which will see him complete 150 hours of unpaid work. He was also banned from the road for 29 months.

Jones was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £114 as well as £85 court costs. If he completes a drink-driving course, his ban will be reduced by a quarter.