An "extraordinarily drunk" lorry driver who swerved across lanes on the A1(M) near Stevenage has been jailed.
Gheorghe Hirtopeanu, of no fixed abode, was sentenced to 14 months in prison at Cambridge Crown Court on October 2.
The 65-year-old pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, driving whilst unfit through drink, failing to stop, failing to provide specimen for analysis and driving a vehicle drawing a trailer on the offside lane of a motorway.
On June 27, several members of the public called the police to report a 44-tonne Scania lorry swerving across lanes on the A1(M) between Stevenage and St Neots.
Cambridgeshire Constabulary were alerted to the lorry, but Hirtopeanu failed to stop for officers, only being slowed down by a stinger device near Sawtry.
Hirtopeanu was discovered inside the cab and appeared to be drunk, but he refused to provide a breath sample when taken into custody.
His Honour, Judge Grey, described his driving as "outrageous" and said he was "extraordinarily drunk".
He told the court Hirtopeanu was "an appalling risk to literally thousands of other road users".
"There were only two reasons why you didn’t kill or seriously injure someone – luck and skill of police officers who were ultimately able to stop you," the judge added.
As well as being jailed, Hirtopeanu was also banned from driving for eight years and four months.
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