A Hurstbourne Tarrant man has been disqualified from driving after crashing his car into a listed building in the village.

James Alexander Wilson, of Dines Close, was arrested by police after crashing into a wall on the A343 on April 10. He was subsequently charged with drink driving, aggravated vehicle taking and driving without insurance.

Following an appearance at Basingstoke Magistrates Court on April 27, the 29-year-old was disqualified from driving for three years, fined £300, and ordered to undergo alcohol treatment.

Wilson was arrested on April 10 after his red Peugeot 307 Sport was spotted driving “erratically” along the A343. Where the road narrows in The Square in the centre of the village, he was seen to lose control and collide with a wall at Four Winds.

Four Winds is a Grade II listed property, noted for its late eighteenth century stylings, with the twentieth century forecourt wall also listed in Heritage England’s description of the property. According to court documents, he caused less than £5000 worth of damage.

He crashed the car in front of two police officers, who arrested him at the scene. He was charged with drink driving, driving without insurance and aggravated vehicle taking, the latter of which combines the offences of taking a vehicle without consent and dangerous driving and is often used to prosecute joy riding.

He was found to have 94 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, when the legal limit is 35.

On appearing at Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court, Wilson pleaded guilty to all three offences. For aggravated vehicle taking, he was ordered to pay £300, and disqualified for a year. For the drink driving, he was disqualified for two years, and ordered to complete an alcohol treatment programme for 28 days before April 26 2022. He received no separate penalty for the insurance offence.