Drink-drive epidemic hits Murcia region

Nine lorry drivers detained in less than eight months

A 53-YEAR-old man who was driving a 40-tonne lorry in Murcia region has been arrested for drink-driving after he was found to be seven times over the legal limit.

A spokesman for the Guardia Civil explained that this is the ninth time so far this year that an HGV driver has been caught drunk at the wheel in Murcia.

On this occasion the suspect was transporting a load from Málaga to Alicante.

The spokesman noted that the man was spotted by a Guardia Civil patrol driving in a ‘very irregular fashion’ on the A-7 motorway on Sunday.

“This was a situation which presented a real risk for other motorists,” explained the spokesman.

The lorry driver was escorted off the highway onto the N-301 Madrid-Cartagena road, where officers carried out a breath test.

After he was found to be seven times over the legal limit, the man from Málaga was arrested on the spot.

Ironically he was transporting barrels of beer to Alicante.

Officers immobilised the vehicle and the company had to send another driver to continue transporting the beer.

The spokesman said that the offence can lead to a sixmonth prison sentence and the loss of the offender’s driving licence for up to four years.

Guardia Civil traffic officers have been carrying out another crackdown on drinkdriving this week to coincide with the August 15 national bank holiday.

They have been setting up road blocks to test motorists who may be driving under the influence.