Having been involved in a minor prang at junction 25 of the motorway between Derby and Nottingham, a driver immediately called the authorities to report it, “forgetting” he himself was over the limit.
The unlikely incident resulted in both drivers being arrested on suspicion of drink-driving, after which they were both also charged.
Derbyshire Police released details of the farce via its Twitter account.
They tweeted: “M1 J25. You couldn’t make this up. Very minor collision at the junction causing no damage.
“One driver suspects the other is drunk so quite rightly calls us. Forgetting he is also drunk.
“Both arrested. One blew 40 and the other 78. Charged to court.”
Police confirmed the collision occurred on the A52 roundabout, beneath the M1, at 5.30pm on Sunday.
It involved a Peugeot 207 and a Vauxhall Agila.
As a result, a 46-year-old from Draycott in Derbyshire and a 60-year-old from Nottingham received the drink driving charges.
No one was injured in the crash and both cars emerged relatively unscathed.
The legal limit of alcohol in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is 35 microgrammes per 100 millilitres of breath. In Scotland the legal limit is lower, at 22 milligrams.
Late last year, a survey outed Hereford as the UK’s drink-drive capital, after figures showed its drivers are more likely to have a drink or drug-driving conviction than anywhere else in the country.
Copyright Press Association 2019. Motoring News articles do not reflect the RAC's views unless clearly stated
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