A 34-year-old Betws man has claimed he has no memory of driving away from the scene of a crash after he collided with a parked car while over the drink-drive limit.

Peter Gareth O’Dwyer, of 117 Colonel Road, also told Llanelli magistrates that he had no recollection of getting behind the wheel in the first place.

Ellie Morgan, prosecuting, told the court how witnesses reported seeing a Nissan Micra crash into a stationary vehicle in Tirydail Lane at 10.50pm on February 26.

The Nissan driver then drove away leaving pieces of headlamp on the road, but not before one sharp-eyed passer-by was able to note down part of the car’s registration number.

Checks led police to O’Dwyer’s home.

O’Dwyer’s Micra – with damage to its front – was parked in the drive of the property.

Initial attempts to contact O’Dwyer went unanswered until one officer spotted him in an upstairs window peeking out from behind a curtain.

“When he eventually came downstairs he smelt of alcohol and admitted he had been driving,” said Ms Morgan.

He told police: “I don’t know. I have been in an accident. I’m drunk.”

Tests showed O’Dwyer had 57 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35.

David Elvy, defending, told the court O’Dwyer “had no recollection of the accident or why he was driving”.

“He has had to give up work due to a health condition which requires medication and because of that does not drink very much,” said Mr Elvy.

“On that evening he had gone to Ammanford with a friend and had a few drinks but does not remember anything from there.

“He puts that down to drinking while on his medication.”

Mr Elvy said O’Dwyer’s friend said O’Dwyer had arrived home safely.

“For some reason after that he got in his car and drove. He crashed and then he drove home.”

“He has no explanation for it.”

O'Dwyer admitted driving while over the legal limit.

Magistrates banned O’Dwyer from driving for 15 months and fined him £110

He was also ordered to pay £85 court costs and a further £15 legal surcharge.