A STEADY stream of people caught drink or drug driving appear before Bolton magistrates on a regular basis.

But in Court Five today the serious implications were brought home to four people after they were stopped by police recently.

All have lost their driving licences for at least a year and, in three cases, the inability to drive has resulted in the loss of jobs.

Among them was 30-year-old nurse Fartun Nur, who is now unable to get to the care home near Chorley where she worked and will have to delay completing a degree at Salford University.

Ayman Al-Saidi, aged 25, has lost employment working as a property manager in Southern England after he was caught driving after using cannabis and Christopher Amadi, aged 36, can no longer take up the offer of a job as a delivery driver for Amazon.

Teenager Georgina Gibbons, who works in a cafe, only passed her driving test five months ago but now cannot drive again for a year after she was caught by police whilst going to collect her sister, who was stranded with no money after a night out on February 23.

Shazia Aslam, prosecuting, told the court how police spotted 18-year-old Gibbons' Fiesta and stopped it on Radcliffe Road.

"The driver smelled of alcohol and was slurring her words," said Ms Aslam, who added that a breath test proved she was over the limit.

Rahil Khan, defending, stressed that Gibbons, of Winchester Way, Bolton, was at home had no intention of driving when she got a phone call at 4.30am from her older sister asking for a lift.

"She regrets her conduct completely," said Mr Khan

As well as the driving ban magistrates fined her £60 plus £85 towards prosecution costs and a £32 victim surcharge.

Nurse Fartun Nur, of Clarke Street, Halliwell, has been banned from the roads for 17 months after her Vauxhall Astra was spotted by police swerving between lanes on the A666 at 4.30am on March 1. She was found to have drunk almost double the legal limit of alcohol.

Charlotte Johnson, defending, to the court how Somali-born Nur, a mother-of-two, had been disowned by her family after getting divorced and was upset that she had not been allowed to go to a cousin's wedding recently.

Instead she went out with work colleagues for "a couple of drinks".

As well as the driving ban Nur was fined £350 plus £85 towards prosecution costs and a £35 victim surcharge.

The court heard how Christopher Amadi, aged 36, of St Ann's Street, Halliwell, was over the drink drive limit when he drove a Mini Cooper on Wentbridge Road, Bolton, at 3.30am on March 1.

He was stopped because police noticed he had a faulty brake light.

Stephen Teasdale, said Amadi, a former semi-professional footballer, had "made a miscalculation, thinking he was ok to drive home from a party after having a drink.

Amadi was banned from driving for 12 months and fined £80 plus a £32 victim surcharge.

When Ayman Al-Saidi's VW Jetta was stopped by police on Bolton Road on September 26 last year a saliva test showed he had been driving after using cannabis.

Al-Saidi, aged 25, of Norwick Close, Bolton, has previous convictions for drugs offences, including one for drug driving and so he was banned from driving for three years.

"It is a very unfortunate period in Mr Al-Saidi's driving career," said Mr Teasdale, who defended him.

Al-Saidi was also fined £192 and ordered to pay £116 in costs and charges.