Ban for drink driver who hit car with family inside

A drink driver has been banned after he crashed into a car that was carrying a family of four.

Jake Ridgway, 35, from Newcastle upon Tyne, was at more than two-and-a-half times the legal alcohol limit when he drove his black Audi into a Vauxhall Insignia in Durrington, Wiltshire, in April.

After pleading guilty at Salisbury Magistrates' Court on Thursday, Ridgway was disqualified from driving for 22 months and fined £600.

PC Taylor, of Wiltshire Police, said: "Fortunately in this case there were no injuries, and I'm pleased the courts have taken another drink driver off the roads."

He hit the family car on Larkhill Road on 19 April after he pulled out of a junction, police said.

Ridgway was arrested following a roadside breath test which showed 97mg of alcohol per 100ml of breath; more than double the 35mg limit.

A subsequent blood test came back as 205mg per 100ml of blood – the legal limit is 80mg.

"If you know you are going out and are drinking, don't take the risk driving home," said PC Taylor.

"Do not risk your life or the life of others."

Follow BBC Wiltshire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.