A TEACHER who works with special needs students could face action by education bosses after she was found drunk by the side of the road.

Elizabeth Ann Whitall pleaded guilty to two charges of driving with excess alcohol when she appeared before Blackburn magistrates.

The court heard how the 43-year-old teacher was next to her Suzuki car, which was lying in a ditch on Snodworth Road, Langho, when an off-duty police officer drove past.

She had to steady herself on another police officer's arm because of the amount she had to drink, at 4.20pm on December 23, the court was told.

The incident was the second time the teacher had been found drunk by the police - four days earlier she had failed another breathalyser test at 9.40am in Burnley Road, Blackburn, reading 96 against a limit of 35.

She was disqualified from driving for three years and made subject to a community rehabilitation order for the same period.

The magistrates also imposed conditions that she take part in a drink impaired drivers' programme and that she should address her use of diazepam by seeing a counsellor with a view to reducing her prescription for the tranquillizer.

After the case, a spokesman for Blackburn with Darwen Council said: "We don't discuss individual cases. We will consider any action we might take when we have appropriate details."

Whitall works for the St Thomas Centre, in Lambeth Street, a specialist unit dealing with pupils who are not in full-time education because of problems including illness, exclusion or special needs.

The council refused to say what action could be taken against the teacher but said there was a range of options open. It does, however, have a policy to help staff with drug or alcohol problems.

Mrs Whitall, of Higher Cunliffe Farm, in Whalley Old Road, also works for the county council's Lancashire Youth Service in West Lancashire one day a week.

A spokesman for the county council said: "The head of the Youth and Community service will look at the case following the court's verdict to see if what has happened is relevant to Ms Whitall's work."