A drunk driver smashed his car into a tree then fled the burning wreck - dressed as a Roman gladiator.

Businessman William Bianchi, 38, who had also painted his face black, was later found by police in A&E - next to a friend dressed as Superman.

The dad of two was leaving a fancy dress bash in the early hours when he crashed his Mercedes.

He was trapped alone in the smouldering car until four passersby pulled him clear just before it burst into flames. Three rescuers took him away in a van before police arrived.

Apc who attended in Prestbury, Cheshire, said: "We expected it to be fatal."

Bianchi, of nearby Bollington, was one-and-a-half times the booze limit and told Macclesfield magistrates: "I don't remember anything."

He was convicted of drink-driving, failing to stop, and two other offences. Bianchi could be jailed when he is sentenced on April 16.