Selfish drink-driver who was stopped in Wellingborough spared from prison after shockingly high breathalyser reading

A drink-driver who got behind the wheel in Wellingborough despite being more than four times the legal limit has been spared from prison.

Vitalijs Savics was spotted driving extremely slowly along Hardwick Road by police on the evening of Saturday, October 14.

The 34-year-old was followed for a short distance before being stopped in Medway Drive. He was asked to complete a roadside breath test as he appeared to be slurring his words and officers could smell alcohol.

He was arrested and once in custody he provided a breath sample of 165 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35 microgrammes.

Savics, of Adeline Street in Goole, East Riding of Yorkshire, was charged with drink-driving and appeared before Northampton Magistrates’ Court on Monday, October 16, where he admitted the offence.

He was handed a 20-week prison term, suspended for 12 months, banned from driving for 50 months and ordered to pay a £154 victim surcharge and £85 in court costs.

Arresting officer PC Jack Wigmore, of the Wellingborough Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “We are asked to prioritise road safety by our local communities as the consequences of a road collision can have a devastating life-long impact on all those involved or left behind.

“Getting behind the wheel – more than four times over the limit – is not just selfish, but dangerous and puts innocent road users lives at risk. It was more by luck than judgement that Vitalijs Savics’ actions did not cause a serious collision.”