A motorcyclist who had been drinking and almost crashed into a police car has been banned from the roads for 18 months.

Magistrates’ Court heard that Arthur Lassalle, 58, veered into the wrong lane and almost hit the police vehicle on Middle Road in Southampton on September 7.

Police suspected he had been drinking and pulled him over. They took him to Hamilton Police Station for a breath test.

Lassalle, from Southampton, admitted drink-driving yesterday and was also fined $1,200.