Actress Rula Lenska Flipped Car While Driving Toddler Grandson After Vodka-Session With Polish Builders

Actress Rula Lenska was banned for drink-driving today after celebratory lunchtime vodka with her Polish builders put her over the limit, causing her to flip her car, while driving her three year-old grandson home.

The 68 year-old former Eastenders star, who that afternoon toasted the completion of a garden fence, crashed her car into a parked vehicle and was dragged out via the boot, along with the child, by worried passers-by.

Lenska, of Hazledene Road, Chiswick was arrested when breath-tested thirty minutes after the crash, which left her blue Kia on its side.

She pleaded guilty to driving the 1.6 litre diesel, with excess alcohol in her breath, on February 22 in Hospital Bridge Road, Twickenham and was disqualified for 16 months, fined £410, with £85 costs and ordered to pay a £41 victim surcharge.

Lenska, born Countess Roza Lubienska and descended from Polish aristocracy, had 47 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath - the legal limit is 35.

She appeared at Wimbledon Magistrates Court and did not face any charge in relation to the child - the son of her daughter Lara, 26, from her first marriage in the 1970's to actor Brian Deacon.

In a statement to police she said: "All of a sudden something flashed up on the dashboard about tyre pressure and I heard a noise of something clicking.

"All of a sudden the car turned on its side. I was in shock and worried about my grandson.

"The airbags did not engage. I was terrified and in shock.

"I drank some alcohol at lunchtime, but it was only a shot of vodka. If I had been unfit there is no way I would have driven with my grandson in the car.

"When I got out of the car I was understandably unsteady on my feet, having just come out of an overturned car.

"I think anybody in a similar situation would have been unsteady on their feet.

"I remain very upset by the whole situation and feel very upset about putting my grandson, daughter and her husband through this whole ordeal.

"I am on medication and fear this my have caused some problem with me." 

Her lawyer miss Seema Parikh told the court: "The irony is if she had waited a couple of hours or eaten something she would not be in this situation.

"She spends time with her cherished grandson and her daughter and on this day they went to a workshop in the local church and had high tea. She cherishes these moments."

Unfortunately earlier that day Lenska had opened a bottle of vodka at home. "She toasted the completion of her garden fence with her Polish builders."

Because her daughter had to take her cat to a vet Lenska was asked to drive her grandson to his Teddington home.

"She agreed and set off in the car, she felt normal and did not feel incapable of looking after the child or driving.

"Had she known she was over the limit she would not had risked her grandson's life. She thinks about this on a daily basis, causing huge remorse and regret.

"The whole event has had a crushing effect. The thought of her grandson dying in  the car is too much to bear."

Earlier prosecutor Miss Mary Atere said it was just after 7pm when Lenska, whose only previous offence was speeding two years ago, struck the parked and unattended vehicle.

The locals who came to her and her grandson's aid detected a smell of alcohol on her breath and called the police.

Magistrate Miss Bukky Okunade told Lenska, who was dressed in a black trouser suit with a green top and indicated she could not hear proceedings from behind the secure glass-panelled dock: "This has been aggravated by causing an accident.

"You had a passenger, your three year-old grandson and have an accident when colliding with a parked vehicle, causing your vehicle to overturn."

Because of these aggravating features the magistrates increased the ban by two months.  

She was married to Minder star Dennis Waterman between 1987 and 1998 until like her first marriage that also ended in divorce.

Lenska is also known for a memorable appearance alongside then-MP George Galloway in 2006's Celebrity Big Brother in which he played the role of a cat lapping-up imaginary milk from her cupped hands.

Following her arrest she said on twitter: 'I feel ashamed and disgusted with myself, there is no excuse.

"I just thank my guardian angels that were are both totally unharmed."

Witnesses to the crash described Lenska, who until 2011 appeared in Coronation Street as Claudia Colby, as being very shaken.

Retail manager Steph Pentreath, 26, ran out of her home when she heard the crash. "I heard a bang first of all and I came running out and saw the car on its side.

"It had clipped a car that was parked on the side of the road and flipped over onto its side.

"We were trying to get the doors open, but they were locked. We managed to get the boot open.

"There was a boy aged three to four in there. He was pretty terrified. 

"We tried to get him out of the boot. then she ended up coming out first of the boot.

"She was behind the bushes by my house.She was being breathalysed and then they arrested her."

Paul Mayhew, 54, was one of approximately fifteen people who tried to help. "It took quite a long time to get the woman calm.

"There was a child in a car seat in the back. The woman was very shaky. The child was fine."

A parked car damaged in the collision belonged to the family of 23 year-old Muneeb Ali Khan.

Lenska has appeared in various television shows since the seventies including Rock Follies; Take a Letter Mr. Jones; To the Manor Born; Doctor Who; Minder; Cludeo and One Foot in the Grave.