A MAN found passed out in the driver’s seat of a car after driving erratically on the A303 before crashing into a fence in Salisbury, has been jailed.

Disqualified driver Steven Whatmore, of Ferndown Close, Basingstoke, appeared before Swindon Magistrates’ Court on Monday (May 29) after being arrested on Saturday afternoon (May 27).

The incident unfolded after police received reports of a Transit van being driven erratically on the A303 near Willoughby Hedge, with concerns the driver may be intoxicated.

Then, a short time later, a further report was received after the vehicle crashed into a fence on Ivy Place, Salisbury, where it suffered damage and a punctured tyre before making off from the scene.

Officers from Team 5 Amesbury and Salisbury immediately went to the area to search for the vehicle.

A further report was then received that the van had been seen on Phillips Lane, weaving over the road and that the tyre was completely shredded and had come off.

Officers finally located the van in Beehive Park and Ride, with 40-year-old Whatmore passed out in the driver’s seat.

After failing a breath test, he was taken to custody where he provided a breath sample that was more three times the drink drive limit.

Whatmore was charged with drink driving, driving while disqualified, driving without insurance, careless driving, and using a vehicle in a dangerous condition.

He pleaded guilty to all offences and was sentenced to 12 weeks in prison and banned from driving for four-and-a-half years.