A DRIVER who left the scene of a crash was arrested by police after he attended hospital with a severe ankle injury.

Blackburn magistrates heard Luke Partington-Allan gave a blood sample more than five hours after the collision and was still over the drink-drive limit.

Partington-Allan, 25, of Whalley Road, Simonstone, pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol. He was fined £80 with £85 costs and £32 victim surcharge and banned from driving for 14 months.

Catherine Allan, prosecuting, said police received reports of a car colliding with a stone bridge wall in Altham Lane, Accrington, at 3.10am. They found a badly damaged car but nobody was with it.

"Later they were contacted by staff at Burnley General Hospital who reported a male had presented himself for treatment," said Miss Allan.

"He said he had been the driver of a car that had collided and he smelled of alcohol."

Colleen Dickinson-Jones, defending, said Partington-Allan had been travelling from home to a late night petrol station when he crashed into the bridge wall.

"He suffered a severe injury to his ankle which eventually needed surgery to pin it back together," said Mrs Dickinson-Jones.

"He didn't leave the scene for no good reason, he was in a great deal of pain and called a taxi to take him to hospital."