A DRUNKARD who was sent to an anti-addiction hostel in a bid to save his life has returned to Haslingden and has been told he has just a year to live unless he stops drinking.

Derek Maxwell, 33, lasted three weeks at the church-run facility in Birmingham where he had to pray several times a day, work for £2 and was banned from drinking alcohol and smoking.

He came back to Haslingden, the town where he has previously caused havoc with his drunken antics and offences of damage, and was soon back behind bars after breaching a criminal Anti-Social Behaviour Order.

Maxwell's solicitor told Burnley magistrates that the defendant, a chronic alcoholic, could not "hack" the tough regime in Birmingham, although he had given it his best shot.

Bill Rawstron told the court: "He was there for three weeks and frankly that was three weeks longer than some of us thought he might be."

Maxwell, now of Bury Road, Haslingden, admitted being drunk and disorderly and breaching the ASBO.

He was given a three month curfew order, between 8pm and 8am every day.

The defendant was given the ASBO in April in a bid to bring peace to the people of Haslingden and help stop him "being found dead in a ditch".

Under the order he was prohibited from being drunk and disorderly in the town and was not allowed in certain licensed premises, medical centres and pharmacies.

On May 4, he was sent to prison for 28 days for twice flouting the order and 12 days later he was given an 18 month community order for a further breach.

Under the order Maxwell had to live at the Betel community in Birmingham and had sobbed in court as he promised the bench he would try and make a go of it.

The court yesterday heard the defendant was arrested again on June 7 when police were asked to go to a phone box. He was disorderly and shouting and swearing at officers.

Mr Rawstron told the court an awful lot of people were trying to help Maxwell turn his life around so he would not end up dead. He had been told he had a year to live if he did not stop drinking.

At a multi-agency meeting in May, involving 20 professionals, it was agreed a tougher line should be taken with the defendant. Previously he had always been thought of as "Dear Old Derek" who people used to ply with drink and set him off like a toy.

Mr Rawstron said Maxwell found the no smoking rule more difficult than the no alcohol one. He had now been on remand for two weeks at a prison where the regime was even worse and would do anything to get away from it.

He went on: "Nobody has ever said this man is a risk of harm to anybody other than himself. He is a nuisance. He is not a menace. He needs to tackle his problems before he is found dead."