A MOTORIST spotted swerving all over the road blamed it on three days of hiccups.
Paul Bates, 48, was seen driving erratically and slumped over his steering wheel.
When he was pulled over by police after he clipped a car, they suspected he was over the limit but found no trace of drugs or alcohol.
Instead, he told them he was just exhausted as he had not slept properly because of the hiccups.
Prosecutor Tim Evans said: “He was claiming he had been suffering from a bout of hiccups for three consecutive days and had not been getting any sleep.”
Bates was seen swerving across the A595 near Egremont, Cumbria, in his gold Citroen Picasso.
Motorist Stephen Hallett was in front but he was so concerned about his driving he pulled over and allowed him to overtake.
He called police and provided them with a running commentary while following from a safe distance.
Bates, of Seascale, Cumbria, was so tired when he was pulled over he was unfit to be interviewed and told cops he was “utterly shattered”.
Anthony Parkinson, mitigating, said: “It was purely as a result of tiredness and exhaustion. He demonstrates some degree of remorse and insight into his behaviour and his driving.”
Bates admitted careless driving and was given nine penalty points on his licence and fined £130.
The court heard he would lose his job as a delivery driver because he will be banned for six months under the totting-up process.
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