M1: Drink driver with child and cans of beer in car arrested after tip-off near Barnsley
A driver was arrested on suspicion of drink driving after being stopped on the M1 near Barnsley with a child and cans of beer in the car.
At 9:12pm on Thursday (May 29), police received a report of a car swerving across lanes on the M1 southbound near Junction 36.
The caller continued to provide updates on the car’s location, enabling officers to intercept it.
When officers stopped the car they found cans, believed to be lager, inside.
The driver provided a roadside breath sample reading 68 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath, nearly double the legal limit of 35.
He was arrested on suspicion of driving over the prescribed alcohol limit and taken into custody, where he failed to provide a blood specimen.
The child was taken home safely by officers.
Roads Policing Inspector Kieran Frain said: “One in five fatal collisions involves a drink driver.
“If you make the decision to get behind the wheel after consuming alcohol, we endeavour to put you before a court and face the consequences of risking innocent people’s lives.
“We have a limited number of resources and officers and can’t be everywhere, which is why public support is invaluable and I thank those who called to report this driver.”
The man has been charged with failing to provide a specimen and is due to appear at Barnsley Magistrates’ Court on July 16, 2025.