Peterborough motorist jailed as 11 drink drivers due in court on same day

Blessing Tambula (38) was found with an empty beer can on his passenger seat when police stopped him on the A16 near Eye at 5.30pm on Friday, July 5.

Zimbabwe national Tambula, of Lavenham Court, Peterborough told police he had been drinking at a friend’s house, had been to sleep and then woken up ‘feeling OK to drive’ - despite officers describing him having a ‘vacant stare.’

He gave a breathalyser reading of 127 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 mililitres of breath when he was taken to Thorpe Wood Police Station, more than three times the limit of 35 microgrammes.

Tambula was one of 11 drink drivers due to appear in Peterborough Magistrates’ Court yesterday, (Wednesday), with District Judge Ken Sheraton highlighting to The Peterborough Telegraph that the number of offenders made up nearly half of his list for the day.

Seven of the drivers were charged with being more than twice the limit, with another charged with failing to give a sample of breath

The court heard how drivers had been spotted weaving in traffic, sometimes even during the morning rush hour, putting pedestrians and other road users at risk of serious injury - or even worse.

Last month 54 drink drivers were caught on Cambridgeshire roads, up two from the previous month.

Tambula’s reading was the highest of all the cases heard on Tuesday in Peterborough. He admitted drink driving and driving otherwise in accordance with a license, after telling the court his licence had been suspended while his right to stay in the country was finalised.

While he was not charged with driving with no insurance, Judge Sheraton said as a result of his licence being suspended, he would have had no valid policy.

Jailing him for eight weeks, Judge Sheraton said: “You knew when you got into the car you should not be driving. You had no licence, and because of that you were uninsured. You chose to drive. When you were stopped you were well over three times the limit, and given the distance you had travelled, when you commenced diving it is likely that reading would have been much higher.”

Along with the jail term, Tambula was also banned from driving for three years, and ordered to pay £85 costs and a victim surcharge of £122.

A Cambridgeshire police spokesman said: “Drinking any amount of alcohol before getting behind the wheel is dangerous, but being more than three times over the legal limit is completely reckless.”

A spokesman for road safety charity Brake called for the Government to introduce a ‘zero tolerance’ limit to cut drink driving. He said: “Drink driving is one of the biggest killers on our roads, causing devastation to families and communities every day.

“Drivers who get behind the wheel after drinking knowingly put the lives of others at risk and should expect to face serious consequences for their actions.

“We urgently need the Government to amend our drink driving laws to a zero-tolerance limit making clear to drivers that not a drop of alcohol is safe behind the wheel.”

The police spokesman added: “If you wish to report drink driving, we operate a dedicated, confidential hotline for members of the public to call and report those driving under the influence of drink and drugs. The hotline - 0800 032 0845 - is available 24/7, and gives you the opportunity to supply us with information to help reduce the number of drink drivers on our roads.”