A FORMER county council transport spokesman has been convicted of his second drink-drive offence in a year.

Buckinghamshire Tory councillor Andrew Huxley was banned from driving for three years and fined £300 this week after being found twice over the legal alcohol limit.

He had already been banned for 20 months and fined £300 earlier this year for a similar offence.

As a result, he was sacked in October from the council's transport policy advisory group and his position as lead spokesman on transport, a job which had made him effectively deputy to cabinet member for transport Rodney Royston.

This week, magistrates heard how police were tipped off to stop Huxley as he drove home from a social club near where he worked.

Huxley, who appeared at Central Buckinghamshire Magistrates Court on Wednesday, admitted a charge of drink driving but had asked magistrates not to ban him, claiming that his drink had been spiked in a social club.

Police later were on the look out for the county councillor when he drove past on the A41 near the village of Westcott on August 6 this year.

Huxley, of Goya Place, Haydon Hill, Aylesbury, told magistrates he had drunk two pints of weak bitter as well as soft drinks before climbing into his car to drive home. He had been playing snooker at Westcott Social Club before leaving to drive along the road where the police were waiting.

Huxley (pictured right) told magistrates the officers had told him someone had phoned them telling them to look out for his car.

PC Andy Rotherham said: "Information had been received about the driver of the vehicle. We were aware of that vehicle and it was one of the vehicles we would look out for throughout our shift."

Huxley's driving had given no cause for concern, he added.

Huxley, a self-employed print finisher, told magistrates he had found out who had spiked his soft drink but that the person would not come to court to give evidence.

Magistrates at Aylesbury were told he could now lose his business because of his driving ban.

Since being caught drink-driving in August, the court heard he had again been caught for drink driving a month later when he received the other driving ban and fine..

John Berry, mitigating, said: "He is very concerned his business may or may not be able to survive.

"His position must be in jeopardy following a lengthy driving ban.

"He would like to be able to serve the community as he has done over the past few years.

"He has to face the consequences and he is very unhappy he has placed himself in this position. He feels he has let himself, his family and to some extent, the community down."

The remaining period of his first sentence will run concurrently with his new three-year ban.

He was also ordered to pay £364 prosecution costs this week.

After the court case he said it had taught him a lesson and he would be attending a rehabilitation course in February. He had been reselected to fight his county council seat in Aylesbury North in May next year, he added.

He had approached the court asking for the man who spiked his drink to have anonymity, allowing him to testify, but the court refused, he said.