A MAN caught driving on the wrong side of the road while under the influence of alcohol had to be physically dragged from a bush he was trying to hide in after running away from police, a court heard.

Connor McCloud claimed his drink had been spiked on the night he was pulled over by police.

Officers were in New Milton in the early hours of the morning on October 15 when they spotted a Vauxhall Vectra driving on the wrong side of the road.

They pulled the car over on Avenue Road and breathalysed McCloud finding he had 43 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath.

Prosecuting, Rachel Standish told Southampton magistrates McCloud, of Thornham Road, New Milton, admitted to having a few drinks.

But, when officers went to arrest the 39-year-old he pulled away and ran off. The defendant was chased but the officers lost sight of him.

Miss Standish said the officers walked down the road and heard a bush rustle which is when they found McCloud lying face down in a bush. The police then had to physically drag the defendant out, leaving him with scratches, before they could handcuff and arrest him.

Further checks also revealed McCloud had been driving with no insurance.

In mitigation, Janet Brownlow said the defendant’s wife had left the family home, leaving him with his three young children.

She added he had been out drinking with friends and had got behind the wheel thinking he would not be over the limit.

The court heard the defendant had been trying to persuade the people that “spiked his drink” to come forward.

Miss Brownlow said McCloud, who suffers from mental health issues, believed he had insurance and that he was a named driver on his wife’s car. She added the defendant had no idea why he ran and suggested it was just instinct.

Chairing the bench, Anne Fielder ordered he pay £580 in fines and disqualified him from driving for 12 months.