A motorist almost three times the legal drink-drive limit was arrested after a one-vehicle collision in the Newry area on Wednesday morning, police have confirmed.
Officers from B Section of the Ardmore Local Policing Team attended the scene, where the vehicle had been involved in a crash.
The driver, who was found to be under the influence of alcohol, was arrested at the roadside.
The PSNI said the individual provided a breath test result “almost three times the drink-drive limit” and remains in custody. No injuries were reported, but police say the driver now faces an appearance before the magistrates’ court.
In a separate incident over the weekend, Road Policing Officers from Mahon Road station in Portadown were called after reports that a driver had been acting aggressively towards staff at a garage near Lisburn, who also believed the man may have been drunk.
Officers, assisted by the Local Policing Team, attempted to stop the vehicle on the motorway near Portadown, but the driver failed to stop. A pursuit followed, with specially trained officers deploying tactics to bring the vehicle to a halt in the Craigavon area after it left the motorway and continued along country roads.
The driver fled on foot but was detained a short distance away. He was arrested on suspicion of a number of driving offences and has since been charged to appear in court.
Condemning the behaviour in both incidents, a police spokesperson said: “People like this have no regard for the safety of anyone else on our roads – we will continue to take action against them in order to prevent them from putting others at risk.”
They added a clear warning to motorists: “Never ever drink and drive.”
