A COMPANY director who had been drinking while watching World Cup football crashed his Mercedes when he went to retrieve his phone which he believed he had left in a taxi.

Blackburn magistrates heard Nikolas Makinde collided with a parked Audi and his car ended up on its side.

The fire brigade had to be called to get him out of the vehicle.

Makinde, 50, of Cumberland Close, Spring Vale Village, Darwen, pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol.

He was fined £618 and ordered to pay £85 costs and a £61 victim surcharge. He was also banned from driving for 18 months.

The court heard Makinde gave a reading of 203 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood against the legal limit of 80.

Mike Church-Taylor, prosecuting, said police were called to a road traffic collision in Ratcliffe Street, Darwen at 3.30 am on July 8.

"The Mercedes A250 the defendant was driving had collided with an Audi and the force was such that the Mercedes was flipped onto its side," said Mr Church-Taylor.

Aidan Carr, defending, said his client had gone to Manchester with friends to watch the England v Sweden World Cup quarter final.

He had caught a train into Manchester and got a taxi home.

"While he was in Manchester he received a message from his estranged wife which spoiled the day for him," said Mr Carr.

"When he got home he wanted to re-read the message and that is when he realised he had not got his phone.

"He then had an if only moment. If only he had walked to the taxi office or if only he had waited until the following day he wouldn't be here today."