A DRINK DRIVER who crashed his car into a hedge was arrested by police whilst sat drinking a pint in a bar.

Darren Peter Hopwood was more than three times over the legal drink drive limit when he was arrested at a pub near to where he crashed his car in Llanwyrtyd Wells. The 43-year-old crashed his Fiat Punto into the hedge on the main A483 in the Breconshire town last December.

A witness reported the incident to the police and officers located the defendant at a local bar where he was sat drinking a pint of Reverend James bitter. After being arrested he was taken to Brecon police station where he gave two positive breath tests, the lowest reading being 114 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, the legal limit being 35.

Meanwhile, First Minister Carwyn Jones has backed calls to lower the drink drive limit in Wales and England after he was asked by Brecon and Radnorshire AM Kirsty Williams.

The welsh Liberal Democrat leader said the Police Federation, which represents rank and file officers, had called for drink drive limits to be lowered in line with other European countries and Scotland.

In 2014 Scotland lowered the limit from 80 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood to 50mg and the Police Federation wants the same rule in England and Wales.

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