CORRIE'S Simon Gregson was convicted of drink driving in Prestbury despite claiming his belching stomach acid made him fail the breath tests.

Appearing at the town's magistrates under his real name Simon Gregory, the 31-year-old, from Gravel Lane, Wilmslow, who plays taxi boss Steve MacDonald, pleaded not guilty to drink driving.

Police pulled him over on Chelford Road in his top of the range Jaguar in May last year and found him to be nearly twice the legal drink drive limit.

His defence lawyer, Gwyn Lewis, argued that the actor's breath test readings were complicated by a long standing stomach complaint called reflux oesophagitus, which causes him to belch stomach acid.

But the town's magistrates found the street star guilty of drink driving after a one day trial, saying he never mentioned this condition to police at the time.

Sentencing was adjourned for one month for a special reasons enquiry.

Neil Audley, prosecuting, said PC William Heaton pulled Gregson on Chelford Road and carried out a road side breath test, which proved positive. Gregson said he had been out with a friend and was returning home to let the dog out when stopped by the unmarked police car.

Sergeant Jerry Taylor told the court he checked Gregson in at Wilmslow shortly before 1am, and asked him if he had any medical conditions before taking him for a breath test.

Sgt Taylor said: "I could tell he had been drinking alcohol but he was very compus mentus."

The court heard that two tests were carried out at 1.18am and 1.21am, both reading at 60mg of alcohol in 100ml breath. A printout proved the approved machine had no errors.

But Gregson, who has suffered from the stomach complaint since 1998 according to his ITV medical doctor, said he had been belching throughout the procedure.

He said: "I was sat at the officer's left hand side and was belching and bringing up acid into my mouth which I swallowed back down five, six maybe seven times. I was putting my hand up to my mouth."

When Neil Audley, prosecuting, asked why he did not mention this to police at the time, he said it was an everyday occurrence "like scratching an itch" and that he did not know it could affect the result of a breath test.

Sgt Taylor forgot to ask him immediately after the test if he had brought anything up into his mouth during the test but asked him around 40 minutes later, after he had returned to his cell.

Gregson said: "I thought he thought I'd just been sick so I said no, I've just had a wee. I thought he asked me because the toilet had just been flushed."

Chairman of the bench, Alan Edgeworth, said: "We did not accept the evidence of the defendant that he was repeatedly burping and bringing up stomach acid. At no time during the investigation did the defendant mention his medical condition."

Speaking after the conviction, Gregson's solicitor Gwyn Lewis told the bench his client did not actually dispute the breath test result and would have pleaded guilty were it not for the legal technicality.

He said: "Had it not been for the mistake by the officer, this would have been a guilty plea, but it would then have been a special measures argument concerning the source of the alcohol."

The defence asked for an adjournment for a special reasons hearing before sentencing.