Bishop Auckland man handed 12‑month ban for drink‑driving on A690

A man from Bishop Auckland in County Durham, Stephen Rush, has received a 12-month driving ban after pleading guilty to drink-driving above the legal limit. Rush appeared at Peterlee Magistrates’ Court and admitted driving a Ford Fiesta Titanium on Pittington Road at the A690 junction in West Rainton on October 27, 2025. The breath test showed 59 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath. The court disqualified him for a year, with the ban reducible by three months if he completes a drink-driving awareness course by January 8, 2027. He was fined £270 and ordered to pay £85 in Crown Prosecution Service costs and a £108 surcharge, and a collection order was also made.