A YORK motorist has been banned from driving for 40 months and ordered to do 240 hours of unpaid work after being caught more than three and a half times the drink drive limit.

John Albert Fox, 52, of Copmanthorpe, blew 128/100mg when officers stopped the Renault Megane he was driving in Dringhouses on June 18, said North Yorkshire Police.

The legal breath alcohol limit in England is 35/100mg.

A force spokesman said he was one of five drivers who had been banned for a total of 12 years after being caught as part of a summer drink and drug driving campaign, which coincides with the World Cup.

Roads Policing Inspector Dave Barf said: “It’s absolutely disgusting that within just a few days of launching our highly-publicised summer drink and drug driving campaign, we encountered drivers more than three times over the limit."

“It’s difficult to comprehend why anyone thinks it’s okay to drive after drinking that much.

“However, it’s encouraging to see magistrates handing out some pretty lengthy driving bans as our first cases from the campaign reach court.

“People who drive under the influence need to be taken off the roads. I can say that from first-hand experience of dealing with the consequences.

“When you arrive on the scene of a drink drive collision, you see things you can never erase from your memory.

“You see horrendous, irreparable damage inflicted on the human body. You see people in such shock they are physically sick. And you see families who know a loved one is dead but can’t comprehend the magnitude of what’s just happened. It’s always heart-breaking to know these incidents could have been avoided. If you could see what we see, you’d never drink and drive.

Insp Barf added: “Think how you would feel if you’d caused the death of someone on the road be that a loved one or a stranger when you maybe suffer a momentary lapse in your concentration – the consequences of which can be massive.

“Think then how hard that would be if you were found to be drunk. Your selfish desire to have a drink led to the death of someone – they’re never coming back – you can’t press ‘reset’. Your choices have consequences and it can and does happen. It bears repeating that no one we deal with expected to have a collision. They all expected to make it home safe – just like you do today.”