Driver had baby on lap

Photo / APN

A Flaxmere motorist caught driving drunk and unrestrained with her week-old baby on her lap says she thought she was "okay to drive".

Diane Ellen Hazel, 25, had spent Christmas in Kerikeri and drove intoxicated on Boxing Day.

She was recorded at 672mcg - one and a half times the legal limit. She told police she was driving because her boyfriend had stolen her purse and she was going to a public telephone to cancel her eftpos cards.

The mother of three said she regretted taking her infant son, Rangi-Pou, with her.

"I only did it because I thought I was okay to drive."