A driver caught nearly five times over the legal alcohol limit left a toddler home alone while she went out in her car to buy cigarettes, a court has heard.

Tracy Oswald was banned from the road for two years and fined £1500 after she admitted the offence at Perth Sheriff Court on Thursday.

Police officers stopped Oswald for a routine check and when they went to her home to confirm her driving documents they found the child had been left unsupervised.

The 39-year-old admitted to officers she had left the youngster alone to drive to a local shop to buy cigarettes.

Fiscal depute Rebecca Kynaston told Perth Sheriff Court: "Officers were on mobile patrol in Bridge of Earn when they observed the accused's vehicle being driven.

"It was stopped for a routine documents check but she did not have her documents with her. It was 5.45pm.

"She said that if they attended her home nearby she could produce her documents."

She added: "On speaking to the accused outside her home they detected a strong smell of alcohol. She said she had consumed two glasses of wine earlier in the day.

"She was arrested and informed police officers a girl was in the property on her own. Someone came to look after the child while Oswald was taken into custody."

Oswald admitted drink-driving in the Perthshire town on September 26, while her reading was 106mcg of alcohol in every 100ml of blood. The limit is 22mcg.

Solicitor Paul Ralph, defending, said: "It's clear the child, although fine, was left in the house alone, while she made this brief journey. There is no good explanation for it."

The court was told the part-time cleaner was in the process of selling her car and expected to raise £1500 from the sale.

Sheriff Lindsay Foulis fined her that amount and said: "You are in a bit of a hole at the moment and you have really got to make every effort to get out of it."