A GWENT solicitor was banned from driving for 16 months after pleading guilty to drink driving.

Mike Sage, 55, of Adam Close, Usk, was stopped by Gwent Police while driving his Mercedes Benz on the hard shoulder of the eastbound M4 near Newport on January 5, Brecon magistrates court heard.

Prosecutor Helen Tench said officers were dealing with a serious road traffic collision at around 6.30pm when they spotted Sage and stopped him.

He smelt of alcohol and gave a positive breath-test reading of 61 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath - the legal limit is 35.

Sage, formerly a senior partner at Harding Evans Solicitors in Newport, and now a self-employed consultant to the firm, defended himself in court.

He told magistrates he had been drinking at a family function at a golf club earlier that day.

But he denied driving on the hard shoulder, and said he had only pulled over to let emergency service vehicles pass, along with other drivers.

Sage apologised to the court for his actions, which he said were "very much out of character", and had caused him "a considerable amount of embarrassment."

He pleaded with magistrates to only ban him for the minimum 12 months, instead of the recommended 16, and said it would cause him a "huge amount of difficulty" in getting to and from his work.

But magistrates said it would not be proper to make an exception for a solicitor, and disqualified Sage from driving for 16 months.

He was also fined £500 and told to pay £43 costs and a £15 victim surcharge.

He also promised to attend a drivers' rehabilitation course.