A Scottish musician and BBC Radio 3 presenter was found slumped over the wheel of her car almost seven times the drink-drive limit, a court has heard.

Mary Ann Kennedy, 47, who is a major figure on the Scottish music scene and who works on progammes about world and traditional Scottish and Irish music for BBC Radio Scotland, Radio 3, BBC2 and BBC 4, Ireland's RTE and Gaelic stations, was found in the car which blocked a narrow road in the Highlands.

Kennedy, who has also won two golds at the Royal National Mod music festival, yesterday appeared at Fort William Sheriff Court for sentence after pleading guilty to drink driving.

The court heard the incident on the A861 Corran Ferry to Kinlocheil road came 10 years after she banned for two years for the offence.

Fiscal Michelle Molley told the court that on August 27 a man was driving on the narrow road when the occupants of an approaching car waved frantically at him to stop.

They told him they had to take evasive action a few minutes previously from another car and warned him to watch out.

He continued his journey and shortly afterwards came across Kennedy's car stopped and partially blocking the road but with the engine still running.

Ms Molley said: "He found the driver slumped over the steering wheel and incoherent. He heaved her into the back of his own car and phoned the emergency services.

"Police and paramedics arrived. The police officer found her smelling of alcohol,with speech slurred and obviously heavily intoxicated. She was also unsteady."

Kennedy, of Lochaber, was taken to Fort William police station where a breath-alcohol test recorded a figure of 148.The new legal maximum is 22.

The car belonged to her husband, Nick Turner, and she was not insured to drive it.

She spent the night in police cells and appeared next day in court pleading guilty to the drink and insurance charges.

In 2005 Kennedy admitted a similar offence on the A82 in Glencoe when she was more than four times the then higher limit of 35 microgrammes and was banned from driving for two years with a £550 fine.

Defence lawyer Clare Russell said her client worked hard all over the UK as a self-employed musician, producer, presenter and broadcaster.

Kennedy, who was charged under her married, took Mr Turner's car to drive the 100 miles to Inverness on business.

But on the return journey she got several stressful phone calls on the car's hands free system.

Kennedy stopped to buy the alcohol in Fort William which she planned to consume at home.

However, she pulled into a layby a few miles from home aand drank the alcohol.

Ms Russell said: "She normally uses public transport.This was the first time she had driven since her previous conviction ten years ago.

"She suffered a trauma some time ago and tried to deal with it herself. Immediately after this latest car incident she went to her GP and is in contact with the community psychiatric nurse."

The court heard she uses alcohol as a crutch.

Sentencing, Sheriff Richard Davidson said he had considered a prison sentence: "I am at a loss to understand the account I have just heard of what went on. That it should happen on the first day you have driven in ten years I find highly unlikely.

"You ended up virtually seven times the legal alcohol limit and were a danger to yourself and other motorists.

"It would have been bad enough for a first offence but this is your second similar one."

The sheriff banned Kennedy for four years with a £1,300 fine to be paid at £200 a month. A motion for the car to be confiscated was dismissed. Asked to comment, Kennedy said outside court: "I would rather say nothing."