A 38-year-old man has been arrested after he was caught behind the wheel while being five-times over the drink drive limit.

Police stopped the man at around 10.35pm yesterday (Monday, December 12) on the A139 Billingham Road in Norton.

A Ford Fiesta was spotted driving strangely and officers breathalysed the driver.

He blew 169 micrograms of alcohol  - the legal limit is 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath.

The driver was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol and he remains in police custody at this time.

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Temporary chief inspector Jamie Bell, said: “The whole reason we have a drink/drug drive operation ongoing at the moment is to help keep people safe.

“Unfortunately there are still a minority of people who refuse to abide by the law and they put their lives and the lives of other innocent road users at risk.

“This is yet another example of why we continue with these campaigns and try to prevent the untold damage that could happen at the hands of a drink or drug driver.”

The National Police Chiefs Council drink and drug driving campaign continues throughout December and into January across Cleveland.

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