A woman who climbed behind the wheel drunk before smashing into a parked police car - narrowly missing officers - has avoided jail.

Louise Rowlands, from Hythe, ploughed through a coned-off lane on the A1307 in Cambridgeshire on March 28.

Officers in the marked car had been attending a broken down vehicle, and had their emergency lights on at the time.

The 54-year-old, who lives in Seabrook Vale, blew 109 at the roadside, three times the legal limit of 35 microgrammes per 100 millilitres of breath.

Rowlands avoided jail, but has been banned from driving for 23 months after pleading guilty to drink driving and driving without due care and attention.

She must also carry out 40 hours unpaid work.

PC Jemma Russell, who investigated, said: “The officers were at the scene assisting a member of the public who had broken down.

“They were in a marked police car with all emergency lights and the matrix board activated.

“There were also blue lights illuminating the coned closure.

“It is sheer luck that Rowlands didn’t seriously injure one of the officers at the scene, the recovery agent dealing with the earlier broken down car or even herself.

“This incident demonstrates the danger drink drivers can present when they get behind the wheel of a car.

“There is no excuse for drink driving and we urge anyone who knows a drink driver to report it to us.”