Drink driver of 44-tonne HGV arrested near Wetherby after public tip-off

Sergeant Paul Cording tweeted yesterday afternoon (January 23) that a potential drunk HGV driver had been reported travelling south on the A1M.

The member of the public said they had seen open cans of alcohol in the cab.

Police stopped the vehicle near Wetherby before the driver was arrested for providing a roadside breath test over 1.5 times the legal limit.

Sgt Cording later revealed that he had personally rang the reporting person back to thank him for his actions and preventing a potentially serious collision.

He tweeted: "I've called the reporting person back to thank him. The consequences of a drunk driver behind the wheel of this could have been catastrophic.

"That's me done after an "Interesting" shift. Can't stress enough how grateful I am for the call from the member of public regarding the 1/2.

"2/2 drink driver. His actions today may well have prevented a serious collision & saved people's lives. Well done sir and thank you."

Although the HGV driver was not carrying hazardous liquids at the time, Sgt Cording tweeted that a drink driver behind the wheel of an 44-tonne vehicle was hazardous enough.

The vehicle was stopped on a return journey from dropping off an 18-tonne load. Sgt Cording said the driver was now in custody and would be charged when fit.

Twitter users were quick to criticise the actions of the HGV driver whilst also praising the call from the member of the public.

Firesnapper999 tweeted: "@OscarRomeo1268 Great example of how one call by a member of public can help #StopTheCarnage & save lives #DrunkDriversKill"

Nigel Morgan tweeted: "@OscarRomeo1268 Maniac!! Drunk in charge of a lethal weapon could have caused total devastation and loss of life!"

Miss Marple tweeted: "@OscarRomeo1268 @NYorksPolice Absolutely gobsmacked that a tanker driver would do this, imagine the carnage that this would cause on A1M"