A lorry driver who was more than three times the legal drink-drive limit has been sentenced after a concerned motorist helped police stop his vehicle on the A1 near Huntingdon.
Police were alerted on 2 November after the lorry was spotted swerving between lanes on the M11, driving onto the hard shoulder and narrowly avoiding collisions with several vehicles.
Concerned for the safety of other road users, a member of the public followed the lorry, despite being taken away from their intended journey, and activated their hazard lights to warn nearby motorists.
Officers eventually caught up with the vehicle and used the 'follow me' signage on their police car to direct the driver safely off the A1 at Brampton Hut Services.
The driver, 35-year-old George Nadejde, of Byron Road, Harrow, provided a roadside breath test reading of 112 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath, more than three times the legal limit of 35.
A subsequent evidential test in custody recorded 102 microgrammes.
Nadejde pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and drink-driving at Cambridge Magistrates' Court on 3 November. He received a 24-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, and was disqualified from driving for two years.
PC James Westlake, from the Road Policing Unit, praised the motorist who raised the alarm.
"We would like to thank the member of public who called us, recognising the danger this driver potentially posed and went out of their way to help keep other road users safe until we could get there."
He added: "Driving a vehicle of this size while over the alcohol limit could have had devastating consequences."
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