Drink-driver crashed in Cambridge then set off emergency call button

A drink-driver who crashed his vehicle in Cambridge and set off an emergency call button has been disqualified.

David Atkin, 61, of Brockley Road, Elsworth, alerted the RAC Monitoring Centre and staff suspected he had been drink-driving.

Officers found Atkin in the driver’s seat of his silver Citroen in a layby in Madingley Road on the evening of June 10.

He immediately admitted to officers that he had been “drunk driving” and a breath test showed he had 108mcg of alcohol in 100ml his breath, more than three times the legal limit of 35. He went on to give an evidential reading of 216mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood in custody, well above the 80mg limit.

Atkin pleaded guilty at Cambridge Magistrates’ Court on Thursday (December 14to drink driving and was disqualified from driving for two years and given a 12-month community order. He must also complete 60 hours of unpaid work.

PC Warmuz, who investigated, said: “There is absolutely no excuse for drink driving. Atkin was considerably over the limit and it was lucky he didn’t do himself or other road users any serious harm.”

Cambridgeshire police operate a dedicated, confidential 24/7 hotline on 0800 032 0845 for members of the public to provide information about anyone they think may be driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.