ONE of the country's worst serial drink drivers offenders has sparked outrage after avoiding a jail sentence for his ninth offence in ten years.

Amir Saeed's alcohol-related conviction record stretches back to 1999 and includes convictions in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2007.

His latest court appearance came after he was found to be twice the legal limit whilst on bail waiting to be deal with for the previous offence.

But the 30-year-old, of Bank Top, Blackburn, was only given a four-month suspended sentence when he pleaded guilty at Blackburn Magistartes, prompting anger from road safety campaigners.

A spokesman for Blackburn magistrates said Saeed avoided being sent straight to prison because of his mitigating circumstances - he told the court that he was only marginally over the limit at the time of the first offence and had been assaulted shortly before the second.

But Lorna Jackson, from road safety charity Brake, said: "This is one of the worst cases we have heard of and it is really worrying that people can continue to offend again and again.

"Drink-driving is still a really serious problem. Courts need to hand out tougher sentences to those who continue to endanger lives by getting behind the wheel when they have been drinking."

A spokesman for the RAC Foundation added: "This is an unbelievable record. We believe that more appropriate sentences by the courts would be a deterrent to drink drivers."

Saeed pleaded guilty to drink driving on December 16 last year and again on January 1 this year and the court heard how he had a catalogue of convictions stretching back to 1999.

But he has only ever spent five months in prison for his crimes - after he twice failed to provide police with a specimen for analysis in 2004.

After being caught for drink driving in 1999 he was given a fine and he earned community rehabilitation orders for the same offence in 2001, 2002 and 2003. He was given a further community punishment order for failing to provide a specimen in 2007.

At his latest court appearance he was given four months in prison, suspended for 18 months, made subject to community supervision for 18 months, banned from driving for four years and ordered to pay £120 costs.

Catherine Allan, prosecuting, said Saeed was on bail for the first offence when he was tested at 10am on New Years Day and found to be double the legal limit.

Andrew Church-Taylor, defending, said Saeed had miscalculated the amount of alcohol he had consumed on the first occasion and had only been marginally over the limit.

On the second occasion he had gone to the home of a friend, with whom he had celebrated the New Year, and had ended up being attacked by four men he described as Gypsies.

"After they had set about him they told him to move his car and leave," said Mr Church-Taylor. "He assumes somebody witnessed the attack because the police were on the scene very quickly and he was arrested."

A spokesperson for Blackburn Magistrates said that the maximum sentence for drink driving was six months in prison because it was a summary offence and that Saeed was given a third off because the court has to give credit for an early guilty plea. A suspended sentence would have been given because of mitigating circumstances mentioned to the magistrates, he said.

A Judicial Communications Office spokesperson added: "All sentencing decisions in particular cases reflect the full range of evidence presented to the court in that case at that time, and a variety of other relevant factors which the court must have regard to, including the statutory framework, Court of Appeal judgments, and any mitigating or aggravating factors."

Justice Minister and Blackburn MP Jack Straw said that magistrates had a difficult job. He added: "They have to take account of the facts presented to them and the back ground of the offender and then make the best judgment they can."