A television licence inspector looks set to lose his job after being caught drink driving in Douglas.

John Marcus Rodgers, from Belfast, was working in the Isle of Man as part of a TV Licensing team.

But he made the mistake of driving to Tesco after waking up hungry in his hotel room - even though he had been drinking earlier.

He admitted drink driving when he appeared before Deputy High Bailiff Jayne Hughes on Tuesday and the court heard he expected to lose his job as a result.

Barry Swain, prosecuting, said police stopped Rodgers, who was driving a Ford Focus, in Athol Street, Douglas, late on Monday evening. An off-duty police officer had seen the defendant in the car park at Tesco and noticed a smell of alcohol, before later seeing him get in a car.

When officers first attempted to breathalyse Rodgers, he said he was in atrial fibrillation and therefore had a raised heartbeat.

After a medical examination, he was deemed fit to undergo a breath test and gave a reading of 65 - the legal limit is 35.

Defence advocate David Reynolds said Rodgers worked for TV Licensing and stood to lose his job as a result of the conviction.

Rodgers had drunk two or three pints of beer earlier in the evening and then gone to bed. He was woken up by a phone call from his wife.

After realising he was hungry, he decided to drive to Tesco, believing he would not be over the limit.

’He would not have driven if he had realised he was over the limit,’ said Mr Reynolds.

Rodgers was fined £900 by Deputy High Bailiff Jane Hughes. She described his decision to drive as ’totally inexplicable’ and said there were places within walking distance where he could have found food.

Rodgers was also banned from driving for two years and will have to re-take his test.