A man has been sentenced after police observed him driving recklessly on the M5 motorway in Somerset while nearly twice over the legal alcohol limit.
Enock Chitsara, 42, from Llanybydder, Carmarthenshire, was arrested following a roadside breath test early on Monday, 17 August, which revealed he was significantly intoxicated while driving a Ford Ranger pickup truck.
The incident began around 11.30pm on Sunday, 16 August, when a member of the public contacted police to raise concerns about a motorist driving erratically in the Bridgwater area.
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Using Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology, officers later located the vehicle near junction 22 on the northbound M5. They followed the vehicle to Gordano Services at junction 19.
During the pursuit, Chitsara was seen swerving between lanes and braking unpredictably, even reducing his speed to as low as 28mph at one point.
Upon exiting the motorway and pulling into Gordano Services, officers stopped the vehicle and arrested Chitsara on suspicion of driving while unfit through drink or drugs, noting that he appeared drowsy and emitted a strong smell of alcohol. A roadside breathalyser test confirmed he was well over the legal drink-drive limit.
A subsequent evidential breath test conducted in custody measured 60 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath, nearly twice the permitted threshold.
Chitsara was charged with driving over the prescribed alcohol limit and appeared in court on Monday, 14 September.
He received a 17-month driving disqualification and was fined a total of £556.
PC Jack Keane commented: “Drink and drug driving endangers lives and there is no justification for driving while impaired. This driver’s behaviour posed a serious risk to other motorway users that night. Thankfully, thanks to a member of the public reporting their concerns, officers were able to intervene and take him off the road.”
An Avon and Somerset Police spokesperson added: “Many drink and drug drivers are repeat offenders. Reporting someone you suspect of regularly driving under the influence could prevent serious or fatal collisions. Information can be provided anonymously via our online form. If an incident is occurring at present, always call 999.”