A Polish man driving a van crashed into two cars in Skipton while more than three times over the drink-drive limit.

Michal Terplywiec, 26, was driving along High Street at midday on July 22 when he crashed into a Nissan Primera.

The owner of the Nissan stopped and was approached by a German man who claimed he too had been hit by the van.

Terpylwiec, of Church Street, Skipton, was arrested and taken to the police station, where he was found to have 107 microgammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35 microgrammes.

Prosecutor Hilary Reece told Skipton magistrates on Friday that the owner of the Nissan stopped after realising he had been hit by the van.

Terpylwiec, who had stopped a short distance away, offered the owner of the Nissan his mobile telephone number, but was unable to give any insurance details.

Mrs Reece said a German man then approached and claimed his car had also been hit by Terpylwiec as he had driven along High Street.

In mitigation, Tahir Hanif, speaking to Terpylwiec through an interpretor, said his client had driven to friends the night before and had walked home after spending the night drinking.

He had returned to collect his van the next morning and was on his way home when he had hit the two cars.

"There was some difficulty in communication and he was not sure what to do. He had never been in an accident before and he regrets his actions," said Mr Hanif.

Terpylwiec, who admitted drink driving, was banned from driving for 28 months and was fined £350. Magistrates said if he attended a drink drivers' rehabilitation course before February 2009, his ban would be reduced to 21 months.

He also admitted driving without insurance and was fined £200, and for careless driving was fined £50. He was also ordered to pay £45 costs and a £15 victim surcharge.