A WOMAN was caught drunk at the wheel of a BMW after having a falling out with her friend.

Eileen Birnie was banned from driving at Glasgow Sheriff Court following the incident.

The court was told how on October 11, 2020, on Balgrayhill Road in Springburn around 1.20am, police were out on uniform patrol.

They saw the 36-year-old parked at the side of the road in her car,

They approached and heard the engine running and saw Birnie, from Stepps, was in the driver's seat.

On speaking to her, her speech was slurred and there was a strong smell of alcohol.

Officers asked her to turn the engine off, and she said: "I had a glass of wine with my meal last night around 6pm."

Birnie failed a breath test at the side of the road and was arrested. 

Her defence brief said she had been at a friend's house and had planned to sleep over but there was an argument and she had left.

The lawyer said: "She had quite a lot to drink.

"After a few drinks they had an argument and she left.

"She is a woman who has had some problems and was self-employed for 10 years but has been unemployed for the past year."

Birnie's solicitor also told the court that she uses her car to care for her mother who lives a distance away.

Sheriff Allan Findlay gave Birnie a community payback order for one year and banned her from driving for 21 months, down from 24 months thanks to her guilty plea.