The son of Crystal Palace legend, Steve Kember, says he has turned his life around after being convicted of drink driving.

Robert Kember said he now realises how lucky he is to be alive after reliving the moment when the car he was driving became embedded in the side of a house in a quiet residential road in Warlingham.

The 23-year-old footballer pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol at Redhill Magistrates' Court last Friday.

His brother and friends sat in the public gallery as he received a 16-month driving ban.

The court heard how Kember lost control of his dad's black BMW as he was driving home after spending the day at a family party. He had been drinking at the party and was found to have 136mg of alcohol in his blood. The car skidded for 40 yards, mounted a small wall and smashed into the two-storey house in Marks Road at 10.50pm on September 12 last year.

The accident happened after he had dropped his cousin off and was driving to Wallington.

Luckily, the owners of the house were asleep upstairs at the time of the crash and escaped unhurt. Kember escaped with cuts and bruises.

On Friday magistrates banned him from driving for 16 months, reduced to 12 months if he successfully completes a drink driving rehabilitation course before the end of December, and ordered him to pay a total of £305.

A remorseful Kember is relieved to be able to put the incident behind him. The semi-professional footballer, who attended Woodcote High School, told the Croydon Guardian he realises how lucky he is to still be alive.

He said: "I realise that I'm very lucky to still be here and that I came out with only a few scratches. I'm just glad that no one was seriously hurt during the regrettable incident."

Kember, who plays for Nationwide Conference high-fliers Crawley Town, is now looking forward to playing an integral role in helping his team gain a play-off spot.

The former Crystal Palace trainee said: "It's been a massive weight off my shoulders and I'm looking forward to getting back to helping Crawley Town get into a play-off spot.

"It's not going to be easy without a car, it means that I'm going to have to rely on others to drive me around.

"It's dragged on now for about five months and I will be happy to put it all behind me. I suppose it has been affecting my football as it has always been at the back of my mind."

He added: "It has certainly changed my life, I definitely won't be drink-driving again that's for sure.

"I just hope I can draw a line under it now and get on with my life."