Oldest woman drink driver, 85, banned after being caught on Brighton bypass

An 85-year-old pensioner is believed to be Britain’s oldest woman to have been caught drink driving.

Betty Teague was caught crawling along the A27 in Portslade without lights on a Saturday night. Worried drivers alerted Sussex Police.

A traffic officer tailed her silver Vauxhall Corsa with his blue lights on but she didn’t seem to realise that he was there so he pulled in front of her to stop her car.

She failed a roadside breath test and was arrested. At Brighton Custody Centre in Hollingbury a test found 101mg of alcohol in 100ml of her blood.

Mrs Teague, of The Burrells, Shoreham, was banned from driving for a year and fined £73 by Brighton magistrates.

Her husband George said that she had been doing a good deed when she was stopped, having dropped her grandson home.

He said: “She’s been helping me as well because I’ve got diabetes.

“She loves driving. It’s a shame because she’s been driving for years and she’s a very good driver.”

Superintendent Jane Derrick, the head of road policing in Sussex, said: “The case of Teague is an example of the fact that there is no such person as the typical drink driver.

“We are catching people of all ages, of both sexes and of a range of backgrounds and occupations who think it is ok to risk their lives and the lives of other road users by having a drink and then getting behind the wheel.

“Teague could have easily caused an accident by the way she was driving but luckily we were able to stop her before that could happen and she is now banned from the roads for the next year.

“It is totally unacceptable to drink and drive. As far as we are concerned, one drink is one drink too many.”