Drink-driver caught going wrong way along A24



A 78-year-old man was so drunk he did not notice he was driving the wrong way along the A24.

Godfrey Maclauchlan was seen by members of the public driving his blue Ford Mondeo north on the southbound carriageway of the road at Cowfold at about 6am on 2 June.

He then turned east onto the A272 and officers saw him driving with his window down despite the fact it was raining heavily.

Maclauchlan did not seem to see the blue flashing lights and sirens behind him for several miles and was weaving in and out of the gutter, travelling at 30mph in a 50mph area.

He eventually stopped after the patrol car pulled alongside the Mondeo and an officer shouted at him to stop.

Maclauchlan, of Billericay, Essex, pleaded guilty to drink-driving when he appeared at Crawley Magistrates' Court on 16 June.

He was banned from driving for 12 months, fined £250 and ordered to pay £235 costs and a £25 victim surcharge.

Chief Inspector Phil Nicholas, of Sussex and Surrey roads policing unit, said: "The case of Maclauchlan shows yet again that it isn't only the young or middle aged that decide to drink-drive.

"Getting behind the wheel after you have had a drink puts not just yourself in danger but everyone else on the roads that you might meet.

"We are determined to catch those whose selfish behaviour endangers others and I would urge anyone who suspects someone is drink-driving to contact us immediately."

In February, a motorist who drove the wrong way for nine miles down major roads including Britain's busiest motorway was banned from driving for three years.

He was seen travelling in an anti-clockwise direction on the clockwise section of the M25 in Kent.

After leaving the motorway the 20-year-old continued driving into oncoming traffic trying to join the A2, a major dual carriageway, before finally colliding with two other vehicles on a sliproad.



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