A councillor has been banned from the road after driving while three times the limit with her children in the car.

Tracey Lorde, 45, who sits on Poynton town council, was reported by her ex-partner after she left their six-year-old daughter and her 21-year-old son in her Ford Focus with the engine running, a court heard.

He called the police and she returned to her vehicle to discover they had removed her keys from the ignition. She was arrested after giving a recording 107 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35mgs.

Hairdresser Lorde, of London Road South, Poynton, admitted drink driving at Macclesfield Magistrates Court on Tuesday, September 8.

The court heard the defendant, who was elected to the council in May, is an alcoholic who committed the offence in the aftermath of the break-up from her partner.

Police had attended her home less than an hour before the offence when she admitted she had been up all night drinking and had been abusive to an officer.

But she was arrested later that day when her ex-partner saw her park outside her hair salon on School Lane.

Prosecuting, Debbie Byrne, said: “PC Podmore attended the defendant’s home. She said she had been up drinking until 4am and was verbally abusive.

“The officer left but at 11am the witness saw the defendant standing next to her Ford Focus outside his shop on School Lane.

“She was parked at a odd angle with her son in the passenger seat and daughter in the back.”

When the defendant returned to her car she went to drive off, but the keys had been removed.

Defending, Julian Farley said: “It was completely out of character and deeply regrettable. She drove a very short distance. There are personal reasons behind this but she doesn’t wish me to say as she knows it will be reported in the local press. The circumstances why police attended her home 45 minutes before was nothing to do with drink driving.”

Magistrates banned Lorde for 26 months. She was also given a 12 month community order, 80 hours unpaid work, £60 victim surcharge, £85 costs and £150 court charge.

Chairman of the bench Stephen Conquer said: “This was a high reading and you are disqualified for 26 months.”