A YOUNG man who crashed his car into a field told police officers he felt "happy" rather than drunk after drinking five pints of bitter before getting behind the wheel.

Mold Magistrates Court heard that Thomas Sanderson, of Hazel Drive, Penymynydd, ploughed his Audi A4 through a hedge off the A5104 at Penyffordd, before the vehicle overturned onto its roof leaving the 20-year-old trapped with his foot under the steering wheel.

Officers received a report of the incident at around 12.40am on October 31 and on arrival found a three metre gap in the hedge and the car lying on its roof around five metres into the field.

Emergency vehicles attended and Sanderson was rescued from the wreckage before telling officers he had been messing around in the field with the car and had overturned unexpectedly.

Officers noticed he smelt of alcohol and had slurred speech and Sanderson admitted he had been drinking in a local pub and was on his way to his girlfriend's address when he crashed.

Sanderson was taken to Wrexham Maelor Hospital and after treatment he was arrested and taken into custody where he gave a positive breath test of 55 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres. The legal limit is 35 microgrammes.

In a police interview, Sanderson told police he had dropped off his grandmother at the British Legion in Penyffordd and decided to stay and have a few drink and walk home.

He had drunk five pints of John Smith's and started to walk home but he then decided to order a Chinese takeaway which he went to pick up in his car and take to his girlfriend's, telling officers he felt "happy rather than drunk".

Victoria Evans, defending, said Sanderson worked as an engineer for the Ministry of Defence and his employers were supporting him following the offence.

"Normally he is sensible and level headed and this is a decision he wishes he'd never taken," said Ms Evans, who also handed in a positive reference from a boxing club where Sanderson attended.

District Judge Gwyn Jones said: "You placed yourself in great danger and the aggravating factor in this case is that there was a road traffic accident.

"Luckily other than the hedge no one was hurt."

Sanderson was disqualified from driving for 14 months, fined £500 and ordered to pay £85 costs and a victim surcharge of £50.