A young dad seems to have given up his right to a cheap car insurance deal after trashing his car while four times over the drink-drive limit before legging it from the scene of the accident.
22-year-old Joe Lord, from Burnley in Lancashire, spent a heavy Friday night boozing with mates before passing out in bed in the early hours of the morning. Waking up early on Saturday, and still massively tanked-up, he got behind the wheel of his girlfriend's dad's Peugeot and drove off without permission.
A mile or so down the road, Lord lost control and ploughed into a wall. Lucky not to hurt himself, he panicked and ran away, leaving the keys in the ignition. Police were called to the scene of the smash and Lord was traced and arrested.
Appearing at court, he pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol, aggravated vehicle taking and having no licence or motor insurance. He was banned from the road for 32 months, told to attend a drink-impaired driver's programme and also given a 12-month supervision order.
Mike Page from Hoot Car Insurance Services, the young driver car insurance experts, commented, "A lot of people think they're ok to drive just because they've been to bed for a few hours after a heavy night. This case just goes to show how wrong they are.
"Driving with any amount of alcohol in your body is massively dangerous."