Van driver caught over the limit after A5 crash near Oswestry
A driver was caught almost double the drink drive limit after his van was hit behind by another car on the A5.
Colin Roy Potter, a driver working for phone company Nokia, was involved in an accident driving his van on the A5 towards Oswestry.
As he slowed down for traffic, his Mercedes Sprinter van was hit from behind by a blue BMW at 11am on July 10.
Police were called to the scene, where drivers were breathalysed as part of procedure, and Potter of Gorse Farm Road in Birmingham, was found to have excess alcohol in his system.
The 48-year-old was arrested and taken to Shrewsbury, where he blew a reading of 58 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, above the legal limit of 35.
Potter appeared at Telford Magistrates Court yesterday, where he admitted one charge of driving when alcohol level was above the legal limit.
Prosecutor Jenny Winzor, told the court that, in police interview, Potter had said he was driving a works van, following a job.
She said: "He said he had been drinking, he had been at a barbecue the previous day.
"He had last had alcohol at 8.30pm the previous day, but had been drinking through the day."
District Judge Nigel Cadbury, said: "You were unlucky because it was not your driving that caused police to attend."
Representing himself, Potter said he worked for Nokia doing repairs on telephone masts. He said he was likely to lose his job as a driver because of the incident, but had told his employers about the pending conviction and there was a possibility that they could find a part time non-driving job for a lower wage.
He said: "I am absolutely disgusted with myself.
"I would not have gotten behind the wheel if I had known I was over the limit."
Potter was disqualified from driving for 12 months, but was offered a drink drive rehabilitation course.
He was fined £250, ordered to pay court costs of £135 and a victim surcharge of £30.
