A primary school lollipop man who was used in a PR campaign to promote road safety wrote-off his car while five times the drink-drive limit.

Renfrewshire resident Robert Mathieson, who was photographed while working to highlight the police and local government increasing road safety measures, has now been banned from driving for crashing his £8,000 Honda hatchback in January this year.

The 67-year-old had been drinking strong cider in his home in Linwood before taking to the roads to go and pick up his wife.

But his wife never got picked up as once behind the wheel of the car he lost control in Paisley and crashed.

The force of the smash was so severe that both airbags were deployed and the vehicle was left so damaged it had to be written off.

The details emerged when Mathieson appeared in the dock at Paisley Sheriff Court to be sentenced for drink driving.

He had earlier pleaded guilty to driving with 114 microgrammes of alcohol in 100ml of breath - when the legal limit is just 22mcg - and sentence had been deferred for him to be assessed by social workers.

Procurator fiscal depute Pamela Flynn told the court that Mathieson came to the attention of police after a member of the public spotted his smashed car and him staggering around the street.

The member of the public asked Mathieson, who has a previous conviction for drink-driving from 35 years ago, if he needed any help.

Mathieson said he was fine but the Good Samaritan noticed his speech was slurred, phoned the police and gave them Mathieson's description.

When officers arrived they found no sign of Mathieson but tracked him and his car down to a car park a short distance away in the town's Blackstoun Road.

He was slumped in the driver's seat of the vehicle, both of the airbags had been deployed, the front of the car was severely damaged and he failed a roadside breath test.

He was then detained and ave a reading of 114 microgrammes when taken to the police station.

Defence solicitor Phil Rooney said Mathieson, who suffers from colon cancer, was still working as a lollipop man despite his condition and had lost £8,000 because of his antics as his car had to be written off.

He said that, despite his financial loss, he would be able to pay a fine for the offence as he also receives a pension, and could do unpaid work as an alternative to a jail term.

As Mathieson's previous drink-driving conviction was 35 years ago it is treated as spent and he was dealt with as a first offender.

As he spared Mathieson jail and placed him on a community payback order, Sheriff Robert Fife said: "This was a very dangerous driving offence.

"With such a high reading I would have considered a period of imprisonment were it not for the absence of any previous convictions and your serious health issues."

As well as having to complete 100 hours' unpaid work, Mathieson was also banned from driving for three years.

In 2014 Mathieson, a lollipop man at Netherlee Primary School in Glasgow's south side, appeared in promotional pictures to highlight a campaign by East Renfrewshire Council, the school and the police to address speeding and irresponsible parking.

The campaign saw a crossing on busy Clarkston Road being widened to allow more children to cross, parking restriction lines being re-painted and the police and community wardens patrolling regularly to enforce parking restrictions.

A second lollipop person for a junction at Linnpark Avenue was also put in place, and Mathieson was the lollipop man used to highlight the increased safety measures.

A council spokeswoman said at the time: “We would urge parents and members of the public to park and drive responsibly and respect parking restrictions around the school.

“The safety of all our children is our priority and of paramount importance, and we would ask everyone to work with us on this.”