Police in Cambridgeshire said they were “lost for words” about why a lorry driver got behind the wheel of his artic after drinking and then drove down the A14 putting lives at risk.
The driver, 58-year-old Jaroslaw Tekieli, has now been disqualified from driving and handed a suspended prison sentence after he was spotted by other motorists swerving over the eastbound carriageway of the A14 near Molesworth last week.
Road policing officers managed to stop Tekieli on the A1198 just south of Godmanchester at around 5.30pm on 8 January after receiving concerned calls from the public and they were then able to breathalyse him.
He was found to be more than twice the legal alcohol limit after blowing 86 at the roadside and 66 in custody, with the legal limit being 35.
The HGV driver, of Ilkeston in Derbyshire, appeared at Cambridgeshire Magistrates’ Court on Friday 10 January where he pleaded guilty to driving whilst over the prescribed limit and dangerous driving.
He was sentenced to nine months in prison, suspended for 12 months, and was also banned from driving for two years, ordered to take an extended re-test and told to complete 180 hours of unpaid work.
PC Sam Holliday said: “I am lost for words for why Tekieli thought it would be a good idea to get behind the wheel of an articulated lorry after drinking.
“He put innocent lives at risk and I would like to thank the motorists who called us and kept us updated of his location.”
