Two-year ban for Alcester driver who was over drink-drive limit and had no insurance

AN ALCESTER man has been banned from driving for more than two years after he was pulled over by police and found to be over the drink-drive limit.

Luke Hutchins, 43, of Swan Street, was arrested just after midnight on 10th December by officers who were concerned about how he was driving on the A46.

As well as being over the drink-drive limit, Hutchins was also arrested for driving without insurance.

At Leamington Magistrates’ Court on Friday (26th January), he was sentenced to a community order requiring him to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work, banned from driving for 25 months and ordered to pay £135 costs and £114 victim surcharge.

Hutchins was one of five drink-drivers who cases were heard in court last week after being arrested as part of Warwickshire Police’s festive crackdown on drink- and drug-drivers.

This included John McClaren, 34, from Whinchat Road, Thamesmead, who lost control of his car and crashed into a telegraph pole, snapping it in half and causing the cables to drop onto Ufton Road near Harbury.

Part of the pole also hit another vehicle.

He was banned from driving for 20 months, fined £484 and ordered to pay £135 costs and £194 victim surcharge after failing a breath test on 7th December.

Other drivers were from Rugby, Leamington and Wolverhampton.

All pleaded guilty in court.

Sgt Simon Dalby said: “These sentenced drivers were in no fit state to drive and should not have got behind a wheel. Some were involved in collisions and we are very grateful to the CCTV operators and members of the public who intervened to prevent them from causing further potential harm to themselves, innocent members of the public and people’s property.”

In total 95 people were arrested during the police operation to target drivers who break the drink- and drug-driving laws.