Over 20 drivers lose their licence in Christmas crackdown on drink driving

Cambridgeshire Police has taken the licences of more than 20 people as the force continues its Christmas crackdown.

This year the force is supporting a new national campaign by Sussex Police and Surrey Police calling on the public and friends of drink drivers to prevent, persuade and – as a last resort – report drink drivers to police this festive season.

So far this month officers have been cracking down on drivers while out on patrol and have carried out roadside checks across the county.

In addition, a dedicated road policing operation will take place on Friday (December 23) across the county led by officers from the Beds, Cambs and Herts (BCH) Road Policing Unit alongside local officers.

Those arrested, charged and sentenced so far this month include:

- Dmitrijs Hodans, 30, of Drayton, Bretton, Peterborough, was arrested at just before 1.30am on December 4 in Park Road, Peterborough. In a roadside breath test he gave a reading of 67 microgrammes of alcohol in 100ml of breath. He was charged with drink driving and at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court on December 7, he was disqualified from driving for one year and six months and handed a £400 fine.

- Marta Wrobleweska, 36, of Vermont Grove, Peterborough, was arrested at just after 9.30pm on 9 December in the Herlington Community Centre car park, Peterborough. In an evidential breath test she gave a reading of 54 microgrammes of alcohol in 100ml of breath. She was charged with drink driving and at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court on December 9, she was disqualified from driving for one year and four months and handed a £300 fine.

- Vasile Braniste, 36, of Queens Walk, Peterborough, was arrested at 10am on December 11 on Lincoln Road, Peterborough. He was charged with failing to provide a specimen of breath for analysis, failed to co-operate with a preliminary breath test and obstructing an officer. At Peterborough Magistrates’ Court on December 14, he was disqualified from driving for two years and six months and ordered to complete 120 hours of unpaid work.

- Kosta Dimitrov, 33 of Star Road, Peterborough, was arrested at 11.46pm on December 5 on Dogsthorpe Road, Peterborough. He was charged with failing to provide a specimen of breath for analysis and driving without insurance. At Peterborough Magistrates’ Court on December 14, he was disqualified from driving for two years and four months.

A further ten drivers were also arrested in December, though not as part of the dedicated operation, and have appeared in court and been disqualified from driving with timeframes ranging from one year and three months to two years.

Cambridgeshire Constabulary’s dedicated, confidential hotline - 0800 032 0845 - is available 24/7 and gives people the chance to supply information to help reduce the number of drink or drug drivers on the county’s roads.

For more information about drink driving, including the law and the dangers it can cause, visit the force’s dedicated drink driving web page.