A “PIE-EYED” homeless man drove off in a supermarket delivery van – but did not get far as he crashed into a fence.

Wesley Smith was looking for food in bins at Asda, in Petrolea Close, Colchester, when he spotted the Mercedes Sprinter van parked nearby.

Smith, 30, saw the keys were still in the ignition so he started up the van and drove off – only to hit railings feet away.

When he was given a breath test later on, he was found to have an alcohol level of 96mcgs – nearly three times the legal alcohol limit – Chelmsford Crown Court heard on Friday.

At the time, Smith was under a 16-month suspended prison sentence for having a weapon in public and harassment. He admitted being in breach of this sentence and other charges of drink-driving and having no licence or insurance when he appeared in court.

Judge Anthony Goldstaub QC jailed Smith, of the Colchester Night Shelter, in Alexandra Road, for 21 months and banned him from driving for two years.

Mr Goldstaub told Smith: “You were pie-eyed – nearly three times the limit – when you drove off in this van. It is fortunate no one was injured or killed.”

The court heard the incident happened on Sunday, October 27, when Smith went to the supermarket looking for food in bins.

His lawyer, Paul Baker, told the court alcohol was at the root of Smith’s problems.