A WIVELISCOMBE man has been banned from driving for three years after police were tipped off by a resident who suspected a vehicle was regularly being used by a drink-driver.

Andre Vrona, aged 43, of Plain Pond, was nearly four times over the legal alcohol limit for drivers when police arrested him.

Vrona was driving a Volkswagen Golf toward Taunton on the A358 in Henlade when he passed a marked police vehicle travelling in the opposite direction.

Automatic number plate recognition technology alerted the officer to the reported vehicle, and he turned around to follow it.

The officer caught up with Vrona and followed him until he stopped in the Asda supermarket car park in Creechbarrow Road, Taunton, at about 4.30 pm on Tuesday, July 7.

The officer found Vrona to be the driver and sole occupant of the car, as well as being the registered keeper, and he was then instructed to take a seat in the back of the patrol car.

Vrona, who was wearing a reflective vest at the time of his arrest, co-operated with the officer, who explained why he had been pulled over, before Vrona admitted he ‘had a couple of beers’ after work.

He gave a reading of 144 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath in a roadside breath test, almost four-times the legal limit of 35 microgrammes.

A drugs wipe proved negative, and Vrona was arrested and taken to police holding cells in Bridgwater.

Vrona, who said he needed his driving licence and access to a vehicle for work, was sentenced in Taunton Magistrates’ Court on Thursday (August 28).

He was disqualified from driving for 36 months, starting from an interim disqualification date of July 21, which could be reduced if he satisfactorily completes a driving course.

Vrona was also ordered to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work within the next 12 months, to comply with the conditions of a rehabilitation activity requirement, and to pay £85 in costs and a £114 surcharge.

Avon and Somerset Constabulary roads policing unit Insp Matt Boiles said: “This goes to show how important it is members of the public continue to report drink-drivers, because that intelligence provides meaningful results.

“An initial breath test was deemed surprisingly high by the officer given how Vrona was presenting himself, so a second one was taken, which was still well over the limit and he was taken into custody.

“Drink-driving remains a leading cause of road deaths, accounting for 17 per cent of fatalities on UK roads.

“Drink and drugs can impair reaction times, co-ordination, and judgement, significantly increasing the likelihood of a serious collision.

“Road users who commit one of those offences are significantly more likely to be involved in a fatal collision than those who do not.”

Anybody who suspects somebody of drink or drug driving can report it by calling 999 if it is happening at the time, or anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555111 or via the Avon and Somerset Police website.