A councillor who was caught drink-driving was described in court as an “impressive man” who had made a terrible mistake.

Chicken farmer Edward Jones, who has been a parish councillor in Kingswear for three years, was pulled over by police as he drove his Land Rover through the village at 11.15pm on June 14.

The 50-year-old father of three was banned from driving for a year as magistrates heard how a breath test had shown he was just over the drink drive limit.

Jones, of Fountain Violet Farm in Castle Road, Kingswear, was also fined £230 and ordered to pay £85 costs and a £30 victim surcharge when he appeared before magistrates at Newton Abbot Court where he had admitted drink driving in Castle Road, Kingswear.

As magistrates prepared to sentence Jones his solicitor Chris Cuddihee told them that the parish councillor had an “exemplary character” and said: “He is a very impressive man who has made a terrible mistake.”

Philip Sewell, prosecuting, told magistates that police had passed Jones when he was walking along Beacon Road, Kingswear, at around 11.15pm when he appeared “unsteady on his feet”.

A short while later they spotted Jones at the junction of Beacon Road and Castle Road at the wheel of his Land Rover.

When police stopped him, a breath test showed he had 42mcgs of alcohol in 100mls of breath – the legal limit is 35mcgs.

Mr Cuddihee told magistrates that the amount Jones had had to drink had not been enough to leave him “staggering along the road”.

He said that Jones had been suffering from a bad knee injury and that was why he appeared to be “wobbling up the road”.

He said that Jones had had a drink but had not realised he was over the limit and had driven the Land Rover because of his bad knee.

“He may have been impulsive and made a bad decision but he is mortified in hindsight.”

He said that Jones had been co-opted onto the parish council in 2015 and he ran a farm “producing chickens and eggs”.

He said Jones had a “really important” community role attending regular parish council meetings and “making decisions that are important to the community”.

He said the farmer had a “passion” teaching young people to sail.

He said that Jones’ wife worked for a magazine and the couple had three children – the eldest of which was a 17-year-old son with Down's Syndrome.

He also said that Jones’ mother lived in Winchester and was suffering from terminal cancer.

He pointed out that with the driving ban, Jones would no longer able to drive his son to “the places that he needs to attend”, and would no longer be able to easily visit his ill mother.