Over-limit driver caught on M5 with only three tyres

MOTORISTS did a double-take when they noticed a man driving his car on the M5 with just three tyres.

Valentin Maklov was seen heading north on the hard shoulder of M5, Bristol Crown Court. People passing noticed his front nearside tyre was being torn away, leaving just his wheel grinding the tarmac.

Police who pulled him over found he was twice the alcohol limit, and watched evidence from his own dashcam which revealed he had driven dangerously for about an hour.

Maklov, 51, of Hannover Quay in Bristol, admitted dangerous driving and driving above the alcohol limit in an unfit vehicle on October 18.

Recorder Malcolm Gibney gave him a six-month prison sentence suspended for two years. He told Maklov: “This was appalling and it is luck rather than judgement you are not here being punished for something much more serious.”

He was banned from driving for two years and told to take an extended driving test. He was made the subject of a 12-week curfew in which he must stay at home from 7pm to 7am.

Charlotte Evans, prosecuting via video link, said a motorist who spotted Maklov at 7pm on the M5 called police as Maklov left the motorway and headed towards Bradley Stoke.

He had difficulty controlling the car and was weaving across lanes with one exposed wheel scraping the road.

Police found him attempting to park outside a property and had to remove him from his vehicle. They viewed his car’s dashcam footage which showed that from 6pm, Maklov appeared agitated as he drove, was talking to himself and used his mobile phone.

He drove at excessive speed and mounted the pavement twice before checking his wheel at a petrol station.

The footage captured how he continued along the Cumberland Basin, with one of his tyres worn away, appearing to be drowsy before he continued on to the M5. He was then seen to accelerate and decelerate as he drove along the hard shoulder.

A breathalyser test showed Maklov had 70 micrograms per 100 millilitres of breath. The limit is 35.

Matthew Comer, defending, said: “In the last 12 months everything which could have gone wrong for Mr Maklov has gone wrong.”

Mr Comer said his client suffered a stroke in July 2010, losing the use of his left arm and resulting in high blood pressure and the need for extensive medication. His IT company had folded, his finances had become difficult and he had separated from his wife.

He conceded it was a bad case of dangerous driving but Maklov had not tried to drive away from police.

Mr Gibney told him: “It was not a case of trying to get away from the police. He’s completely oblivious because he’s drunk so much.”