Dangerous drink driver jailed for seven months
He was caught driving nearly three times the legal alcohol limit
A 40-year-old man from Northampton has been jailed for seven months after driving dangerously through the town while more than twice the legal alcohol limit.
Del Field, of Chiltern Avenue, was spotted driving a white Renault Kangoo van at excessive speed in Bedford Road at around 3.20pm on Sunday, 19 January.
When officers signalled for him to stop, Field initially pulled over but then drove off, sparking a brief pursuit. As he headed towards the town centre, he ran red lights, mounted kerbs and carried out dangerous overtakes, putting other road users at risk.
The chase came to an end in Bants Lane, where traffic slowed the van and officers were able to use their vehicles to bring it to a halt. Field failed to provide a roadside breath test but later gave an evidential sample of 96 micrograms of alcohol in 100ml of breath – nearly three times the legal limit of 35mg.
He was arrested and later charged with dangerous driving and driving while over the alcohol limit. After admitting both offences, Field was sentenced at Northampton Crown Court on 14 August to seven months in prison. He was also banned from driving for three years and three months and ordered to pay a £187 surcharge.
Arresting officer PC Tom Cottle, of the Roads Policing Team, said: “Driving at excess speeds is dangerous, however knowingly doing this when you are over the prescribed alcohol level to drive is just pure recklessness.
We see the devastating effects of those who use our roads illegally and irresponsibly, and so it is always disappointing to see that there are still people who choose to put themselves and innocent members of the public at risk.
Reducing the number of people killed or seriously injured on our roads remains a priority for Northamptonshire Police and our partners at the Northamptonshire Safer Roads Alliance, and I’m pleased the courts have dealt with this driver robustly.”*
In 2024, 31 people were killed and 243 seriously injured in collisions on Northamptonshire’s roads.