Drunk driver caught in Barbie car

A British man has been banned from driving for three years after he was caught behind the wheel of a pink toy Barbie car while drunk.

According to The Sun, Paul Hutton was over the UK legal limit when he was pulled over near his Essex home by a police patrol car.

Hutton, a former Air Force aeronautical engineer, modified the car with his son for a school project after it was dumped close to his house.

He said he had been on his way to show it to a friend on the day of his arrest.

The tiny electric car runs on batteries and has a top speed of just over 6km/h.

Hutton, 40, said: "You have to be a contortionist to get in, and then you can't get out."

He said he was not unhappy with his punishment, but was "very surprised to get done for drink-driving".

"I was a twit, to say the least."

- NZHERALD STAFF