A TAXI driver has lost his job and been banned from the road after he admitted driving dangerously and failing to provide police officers with a urine sample to ascertain the level of alcohol in his system.

Ian Adamson got into his vehicle claiming he had worries over the safety of his son, despite drinking a quantity of alcohol previously that evening.

Adamson drove his vehicle along Eastfield Avenue, Edinburgh, where he collided with a parked vehicle, struck a bush and mounted a kerb as he was seen swerving on the road.

He then made his way to the A198 Bankton Junction at excessive speeds, failed to slow down and eventually lost control of the vehicle, colliding with traffic islands and a roundabout.

The taxi driver came to an abrupt halt when his car crashed into a lamppost, causing damage, on August 2.

Edinburgh Sheriff Court was told that the 55-year-old, of Mains Gardens, Tranent, was taken to hospital, where he failed to provide a urine sample to officers.

Adamson pleaded guilty to both offences at a court hearing last month and he was back in the dock for sentencing on Tuesday.

Solicitor Calum Turner said that his client “accepted responsibility” for his actions that day but he had lost his job as a result and he had had “concerns” over his son’s welfare, leading him to decide to drive.

Sheriff Francis Gill told Adamson that it was “only a matter of good fortune that no one was killed or seriously injured” by his driving that day.

Adamson was banned from driving for a total of 24 months and told he must sit the extended driving test before he was allowed back on the road.

He was also sentenced to a community payback order and told to carry out 165 hours of unpaid work in the community.