Motorist stunned as police fail to act on drink-drive suspect

Public-spirited Craig Bestington followed the unknown woman as she weaved in and out of lanes and almost crashed into a roundabout.

He tailed her to an address where she stopped and he called police for the fourth time but was told they couldn’t do anything – because the woman was no longer driving.

Mr Bestington, 40, who works as a lorry driver, had finished a night shift and was on the way home in his car from Sherburn-in-Elmet, North Yorkshire, to Bramley in Leeds, at 5.25am on Saturday, when he came up behind a hatchback without its lights on which was weaving across the road.

He told police the driver and her woman passenger were a danger to themselves and other road users. The police controller promised to “pass on the details”.

When the drunk driver eventually pulled up, Mr Bestington said she was so drunk she “fell out” into the road.

“I told her she was an absolute disgrace. She could not manage to unlock her phone to call the people in the house to open up.”

He called police a fourth time but was shocked to be told there was nothing they could do as the woman had stopped driving.

West Yorkshire Police Chief Inspector Michael Hunter said the police response had “fallen short of the standard” expected.

A police car had been sent out within five minutes of the call but the car could not be found, he said.

He added: “I would like to apologise to the caller for the standard of service they received on this occasion.

“Additional support and training will be provided to staff involved in this matter to improve our service.”