A woman more than three times the legal alcohol limit drove her car along railway tracks after taking a wrong turn.

Tayler Barnham, 29, has avoided jail following the near-tragedy at a level crossing near Faversham, which caused an oncoming train to slam on its brakes.

Shocking CCTV footage captured just before midnight on May 29 last year shows Barnham driving her Ford Fiesta onto the Monkshill Road level crossing, before turning left onto the railway track, and driving a short distance along it.

A burst of electrical discharge can then be seen, as the car makes contact with the third rail before coming to a sudden stop.

The driver of an approaching passenger train spotted the car’s headlights and had to apply emergency brakes to avoid hitting the stationary Fiesta.

British Transport Police received a call from the train driver a few moments later, reporting the car on the tracks.

Barnham then proceeded to make calls to her family and friends, before officers arrived at the level crossing and arrested her.

A breath sample was taken in police custody and she was found to be more than three times the drink-driving limit.

She had 116 micrograms of alcohol in 100ml of her breath - while the legal limit is 35.

After the car was extracted from the railway line, officers found an empty beer can in its footwell.

In her interview the following morning, Barnham handed detectives a pre-prepared statement in which she claimed she was not driving the car but was in the passenger seat directing the driver.

A few months later, in September 2021, she admitted to being the car’s driver on the evening of the incident.

Barnham, of Guinevere Terrace in Rochester, appeared at Folkestone Magistrates’ Court on January 11, where she pleaded guilty to one count of driving without due care and attention and one count of drink driving.

Yesterday, a judge at Medway Magistrates’ Court sentenced her to eight weeks in prison, suspended for two years.

She was disqualified from driving for two years and is required to be on a curfew between 7pm and 7am for three months.

She was also ordered to pay costs totalling £213.

Det Con Mike Ganly said: “Barnham’s impetuous decision that evening could have resulted in tragic consequences.

"Not only did she put herself in grave danger, she caused significant risk to the safety of the passengers on the approaching train.

“I hope the footage of her ill-judged actions and her prosecution serves as a stark warning to anyone who may consider driving or stepping onto the tracks.

“The railway isn’t a playground – it has many hidden dangers. Not only do you run the risk of being struck by an oncoming train, but the electrified third rail carries 750 volts – enough to kill you.”