A Polish lorry driver well over the legal drink-drive limit while swerving and almost crashing on the M6 has claimed the high illegal reading was due to him taking cough syrup containing alcohol.
Sylwester Swiatkowski, 49, came to the attention of police who received a phone call from a concerned member of the public at around 7.20pm on Wednesday of this week. He was travelling southbound close to Carlisle in a Polish HGV which was seen swerving across the road, nearly crashing into three other vehicles.
Swiatkowski was taken to a police station and found to be more than two-and-a-half times the legal drink-drive limit. He admitted driving with excess alcohol at Carlisle Magistrates’ Court.
Defence lawyer Steven Marsh said Swiatkowski had been a wagon driver for 25 years with no previous convictions.
During a 24-hour rest period the defendant claimed to have consumed only a small vodka with cola between 10am and 11am on the morning of his offence.
“He says he had been drinking cough syrup on his way from Scotland to where he was stopped. In his interview he says this contained alcohol,” said Mr Marsh. “I have no knowledge of that. I did Google whether some cough medications would have alcohol.
“It does appear some do contain alcohol and some in high concentration.”
Swiatkowski said he had acquired the medication in his native Poland but wasn’t aware it contained alcohol. “He believes that drinking the cough medication is the main reason he was over the limit and the reading was so high,” said Mr Marsh.
District Judge John Temperley banned Swiatkowski, of an unknown Polish address, from driving in the UK for 24 months. He must also pay a fine and costs before leaving this country.
“I remain sceptical about the cough medication you were taking and what effect that may have had on the reading,” said the judge.
