A former mayor is banned from driving for 18 months after drinking Prosecco ‘like lemonade’
Julie Stansfield, 48, had been at a friend's house to help plan her daughter's wedding and says 'I have no excuse'
A FORMER mayor hailed as a inspiration to women has been banned from driving after necking Prosecco "like lemonade".
Julie Stansfield, 48, was almost twice the limit, her eyes were glazed and speech slurred when cops pulled her BMW over at 3pm.
The ex-mayor of Todmorden, West Yorks, blew 69 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath at the police station. The legal limit is 35.
Burnley JPs heard the mum of two had been to a friend's house to help her plan her daughter's wedding and "out comes the Prosecco."
Chris Haddock, defending, said: "They are not drinking lemonade, they are drinking alcohol, just as strong as any other wine. She didn't feel she was drunk. She says ‘It's a fair cop. I have no excuse’."
Cops received a tip-off about a suspected drink driver heading from Clitheroe to Burnley, Lancs, on 1 September.
Tracy Yates, prosecuting, said: "The officer noted the nearside tyres were missing from the vehicle.
She was the only occupant. Her speech was slurred and her eyes were glazed. She had a plaster cast on her lower arm and wasn't handcuffed."
Stansfield was banned for 18 months, fined £260 and ordered to pay £85 costs and a £30 victim surcharge after admitting driving with excess alcohol.
The patient care co-ordinator for The Hospital Group was hailed as an example to others in 2010 when she dropped from 17st to 8st 6lb after a gastric bypass and tummy tuck costing £10,500.
Speaking at the time, she said: "Early in 2008, years of eating fatty foods like cakes and crisps meant the needle on my bathroom scales flickered past the 17st mark.
"My spirits were at an all-time low, and out of pure desperation I asked my GP about having a gastric bypass. At 5ft 4in, my weight put me firmly in the morbidly obese category, but because I had no weight-related complications, I was told I wasn't eligible.
"But by then I'd done my research and decided that this - admittedly drastic - step was the only answer to my weight problem."
Stansfield, who served as mayor in 2008, and husband Paul used their savings to fund the op privately.
She added: "I love the way I look because it shows me as a young, confident woman who feels great and knows she looks great. It just goes to show there can be some bonuses to growing old."
