A judge who was jailed for five months for drink-driving has been released after serving 30 days.

John Reeder QC had been sentenced in May to five months in prison and banned from driving for four years by Cheltenham magistrates after he crashed his Range Rover into another car on the A435 near the town in April.

His breath alcohol reading was 163 micrograms - almost five times the legal limit. A bottle of vodka was found in his pocket.

The original sentence was reduced to two months on appeal, and Reeder was released having served half of it.

Reeder, 48, of Maldon, Essex, resigned from the bench soon after the offence and faces a Bar Council disciplinary hearing in October.

Magistrates heard he had taken to drink because of the pressures of work. He worked for the Admiralty on four public inquiries into maritime disasters, including the Zeebrugge sinking and the Penlee lifeboat tragedy.

In the accident Reeder pulled out on to a main road and collided with a Toyota Celica containing Mr Cliff Simmonds, a former firefighter, and his girlfriend, Ms Tina Carpenter.

Mr Simmonds said last night: ''This is disgusting - what kind of justice is this?''

A spokesman for the Campaign Against Drinking and Driving said: ''This is ridiculous - what sort of message is this sending to people? The original sentence was extremely light, considering how drunk he was.

''But a month behind bars isn't going to act as a deterrent to anyone else. We are very disappointed.''

At a sentence appeal hearing at Bristol Crown Court in May, Nigel Pascoe QC, defending, said Reeder had been kept in solitary confinement so far and had suffered an ''absolutely traumatic'' time.

He said: ''While the prison authorities have done their best, I cannot pretend he is not a prisoner at risk.'' The impact of conviction on his personal and professional life was ''enormous'' Mr Pascoe had added.

Later, at his home, Mr Reeder said he would not be making any public comment until after the Bar Council hearing in October.

He said: ''I'm sorry but I've got the Bar Council hearing coming up and it wouldn't be right for me to say anything until after that.''