A DELIVERY driver was "staggering" drunk after losing control of a vehicle and crashing into a wall, Bradford Crown Court heard today.

Mark Blackburn, who had battled a drug and alcohol problem, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving in Keighley Road, Cross Hills, on March 25 last year.

Blackburn, 38, of Ling Crag Gardens, Cowling, also admitted theft in breach of trust on March 15 and failing to provide a specimen and obstructing a police officer after the crash.

He was sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment, suspended for two years, with 100 hours of unpaid work and was banned from driving for three years.

Prosecutor Gerald Hendron said Blackburn stole a computer monitor, a pair of jeans and boots from a depot in Northampton while working as a delivery driver. He discarded the jeans because they were too small and threw the monitor on to a skip when he realised it was not a television set.

Ten days later, his vehicle mounted the kerb in Cross Hills and hit a wall.

He 'cut up rough' when he was arrested and was staggering under the influence of drink, Mr Hendron said.

Blackburn's barrister, Giles Bridge, said his client was successfully battling a 20-year drug addiction and an alcohol problem but tended to relapse from time to time.