JAILED: Man drove 13 miles the wrong way along M54 and A5 while double the alcohol limit
A drink-driver who travelled 13 miles of motorway and dual carriageway in the wrong direction at up to 90mph has been jailed.
Duane Jamie was spotted on CCTV by highways staff driving the wrong way down the M54 while almost double the legal alcohol limit.
Shrewsbury Crown Court heard how Jamie had ambitions to become a HGV driver but that dream would not now be possible.
Nicholas Tatlow, prosecuting, said a car was spotted driving the wrong way down the M54 from Telford in the direction of Shrewsbury, just after 3am on February 2.
The police were called and began to tail the car from the opposite carriageway.
Jamie continued onto the A5, passing four junctions without turning off and driving a total of 13 miles.
He was driving at 60mph but at points sped up to 90mph, police said.
Jamie passed several other vehicles which flashed their lights at him, but he still did not stop.
The police closed the A5 at the Preston Roundabout and deployed a stinger device which eventually brought the car to a stop.
Jamie was arrested for dangerous driving and provided a breath sample revealing he had 67 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, almost twice the limit of 35.
Mr Tatlow said Jamie told police he was familiar with the road and could not explain how he had ended up on the wrong side.
Paul Smith, defending, said Jamie had previous convictions from when he was a teenager but had attempted to turn his life around. He lived with his partner and had been employed until his arrest, Mr Smith said.
Recorder William Edis said it was a case of "appallingly dangerous driving".
"It is perfectly obvious that if someone had crashed into you the combined impact at those speeds would have meant death, or at the very least serious injury," he said.
The 25-year-old, from Arleston, Telford, pleaded guilty to both charges and was sentenced to eight months to eight months for dangerous driving, with two months for drink-driving to run concurrently.
When he is released he will be banned from the roads for two years and will have to take an extended re-test to get his licence back.
