A 65-year-old man from Pembroke Dock, who went out in his car after consuming half a bottle of vodka following a row with his wife, has been disqualified from driving for 17 months.

Ieuan Jones Morgan, of Furzy Bank, pleaded guilty to a charge of driving a motor vehicle after consuming excess alcohol when he appeared before Haverfordwest magistrates court on Tuesday.

The prosecution said that on September 23, police had attended Mr. Morgan's home address after reports of a domestic incident which resulted in his wife being arrested.

When officers returned to the premises later, they noticed that a Mercedes vehicle which had been parked on the driveway earlier had gone.

When the car was reported to have been seen travelling down Furzy Bank, police stopped the vehicle with Mr. Morgan behind the wheel and they could smell intoxicants.

He was asked to take a breath test and this proved positive, showing a reading of 77 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, exceeding the prescribed limit.

The defendant's solicitor, Matthew Greenish, said that this was an unusual set of circumstances, which had seen his client consume alcohol due to the build up of stress in relation to the incident with his wife, and then drive to the post office nearby.

Mr. Greenish explained that the couple had been married for nearly 47 years and, although they had been going through a difficult period in their relationship, they had reconciled.

He also said that Mr. Morgan, who suffered with rheumatoid arthritis, relied on his wife to help him, although she could not drive.

As well as the ban, magistrates fined Mr. Morgan £260 and ordered him to pay £85 in costs and a £15 victim surcharge.