A DENTAL nurse who was seen “swerving over the road” and nearly collided with a bus couldn't provide a sample at a police station due to a mental health episode, a court has heard.

Ellie Attwater Featonby, 21, was travelling in a Mercedes in September when a member of the public who was concerned about her standard of driving phoned the police.

Marie Ellis, prosecuting, said: “The witness saw her swerving over the road, nearly colliding with a bus and mounting the kerb.”

Limit - magistrates heard Ellie Attwater Featonby was over the drink drive limit, but she was only charged with failing to provide a specimentLimit - magistrates heard Ellie Attwater Featonby was over the drink drive limit, but she was only charged with failing to provide a speciment (Image: Newsquest) By the time officers arrived to where Featonby had been driving in Clacton, she had pulled over at the side of the road.

The defendant, who told the court she works as a dental nurse, gave a roadside breath test of 95mcg per 100ml of breath.

Colchester Magistrates’ Court heard on Tuesday how she was taken to a police station where she attempted several times to provide further samples, but was unable to do so because she going through a mental health episode.

Featonby did not face charges of drink driving and was instead charged with one count of failing to provide a specimen for analysis, which she admitted.

She was unrepresented in court and told magistrates she had drunk alcohol the previous night, before taking borderline personality disorder medication which she said “interfered with alcohol”.

She continued: “I kind of knew I was not right and wasn’t straight – when I get into those states I can’t make rational decisions.

“I needed help because I was getting into a bad episode – I should not have got in the car but I did because I really wanted help to get out of this bad episode.

“I wanted to go to my auntie’s who lives five minutes away – when I had been driving it came into my head that this is not right, this is so wrong, which is why I pulled over and called my friend.

Guilty - Ellie Attwater Featonby admitted the one charge against herGuilty - Ellie Attwater Featonby admitted the one charge against her (Image: Daniel Rees, Newsquest) “I realise what I did was a totally unacceptable standard of driving.”

Bench chair Kati Greenwood said: “This was a serious offence and the level of impairment was obviously high, and the reading by the roadside was exceedingly high.”

Featonby, of The Close, Great Holland, was banned from driving for a year and ordered to pay £199 in costs.