A DRIVER who was three times over the drink limit crashed her car when she reached for a mobile phone.

The subsequent driving ban cost her a well-paid job as a security officer, Kidderminster magistrates heard.

She had to take less rewarding work in a carpet factory.

Karen Randall, 33, of Albert Road, Kidderminster, was banned for two-and-a-half years and ordered to complete 80 hours of community work.

She admitted driving with a blood alcohol reading of 248, against the limit of 80.

She had been on her way home after drinking too much at a friend's party, her solicitor, Paul Hitchcock, told the court.