Wayne Rooney: Community service punishment 'refreshing' and 'relaxing'

Wayne Rooney has said his community service in a garden centre after admitting drink driving is "refreshing" and "relaxing".

Wayne Rooney: Community service punishment 'refreshing' and 'relaxing'

Wayne Rooney has said his community service in a garden centre after admitting drink driving is "refreshing" and "relaxing".

The multimillionaire former England and Manchester United captain said he is made to feel welcome and plans to keep in touch when he completes his hours.

Rooney, who earns £150,000-a-week playing for Everton, was ordered to complete 100 hours unpaid work after admitting being nearly three times the legal limit while at the wheel of a woman's car.

The footballer, who was banned from driving for two years, told Talksport: "I knew straight away I had made a stupid mistake and I have to move on.

"It is not nice, obviously. I've got children and it's not nice for them to see that and I try and move on and learn from it which I feel I am doing."

Rooney said he is about halfway through his community service, adding: "I've really enjoyed doing it. It's been working with adults with learning difficulties in a garden centre.

"Especially around this period, this Christmas period, going in and helping them with different things they're making over Christmas."

He added: "Honestly I'm really enjoying it, working with these people, and I think it's a place now where I'll certainly keep in touch with when obviously my hours are over.

"Seeing what they do, obviously they need support in what they do, there are a lot of adults with learning difficulties who just need a little bit of help and a bit of guidance and someone there to help them.

"And I think the staff there are doing a fantastic job and when I go they make me feel really welcome."

Asked if he gets any "stick", Rooney said: "No, not at all. We actually don't even talk about football in there.

"It's a refreshing place to go and it's relaxing, you're working with people, doing different things which I wouldn't have done if I didn't go there, so it's been great going there."

He added: "I'll keep in touch with them and try and help."

The 32-year-old pleaded guilty to drink driving at Stockport Magistrates' Court in September following an incident in the early hours of September 1.

Rooney was on a night out in Wilmslow, Cheshire when he was stopped by police driving a woman's black Volkswagen Beetle in Altrincham Road, Wilmslow, at 2.10am after they noticed a rear tail-light out.

After failing a roadside breath test the footballer was taken to a local police station where he produced a reading of 104 microgrammes per 100 millilitres of breath, the legal limit in England and Wales being 35 microgrammes.

After hearing that Rooney was likely to be fined two weeks' wages by Everton, judge John Temperley said he was "not convinced" that a large financial penalty from the court would have the "same punitive effect" as a community order.

The footballer apologised for his "unforgivable lack of judgment" in driving while over the legal limit and said his actions were "completely wrong".

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