A man who drove one mile the wrong way along the A12 before crashing into two cars said he had drunk half a bottle of vodka, a court has heard.

Julian Wright was driving at 60mph to 70mph on a stretch of the A12 between Pakefield and Kessingland, near Lowestoft when his vehicle was in collision with a car driven by a nurse who was overtaking a Nissan car in front of her.

Wright's Fiat Spider was also in collision with the Nissan which was driven by a woman who was 17 weeks pregnant, Ipswich Crown Court heard on Thursday, February 16.

Donal Lawlor, prosecuting, said Wright, who suffered leg injuries in the crash, told a woman who went to his aid that he had drunk half a bottle of vodka.

Wright, 69, of The Firs, Lowestoft, admitted dangerous driving on July 22 last year.

The court heard a blood sample taken in hospital four hours after the collision showed he had 105 mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood - the legal limit is 80.

Judge Martyn Levett adjourned sentence on the dangerous driving charge until March 3 to allow Wright to appear before magistrates on March 1 for a charge of driving with excess alcohol connected with the dangerous driving.

The court heard Wright had a previous drink driving conviction dating back to 2005.

In a victim impact statement the nurse described what he did as "cruel and selfish."

She suffered whiplash, cuts and bruises in the collision and said she might have to retire early because she now suffered travel anxiety.

The driver of the Nissan and her passenger were left hanging upside down in their overturned vehicle but a scan showed her unborn baby had not been harmed.

The court heard that Wright told police he had drunk half a bottle of vodka and had driven the wrong way on the dual carriageway by mistake.