A TRUCK driver living and working in England to support his family back in Poland has lost his licence after admitting drink driving.

Grzegorz Borowski, 55, a Polish national, was on his way to Leeds Bradford Airport on July 5, driving through Ingleton, and about to join the A65, when another motorist heard a scraping sound and saw that the car being driven by Borowski was missing the tyre on the back left wheel and was down to the rim.

He called the police, pulled in front of Borowski and took away his keys, heard Skipton Magistrates Court on Friday.

A roadside breath test was positive, and Borowski was taken to the police station where a blood test later showed he was almost three times the limit, having 232 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood, the legal limit is 80.

Borowski, of Westminster Road, Morecambe, Lancs, and of previous good character, admitted drink driving. As a result of losing his licence, he had lost his job and the hostel accommodation provided by his employer and would probably return to Poland, the court heard.

Mitigating, Keith Blackwell said Borowski supported his wife and adult son back in Poland, both of who suffered from depression and were unable to work, and who he had been unable to see for some time, due to the Covid-19 crisis.

He said he would now return to Poland to pull himself together, try and find work and perhaps return to England sometime in the future.

It had been a ‘catastrophic error’ by Borowski who to his credit had come to the UK to seek better opportunities in order to support his family, said Mr Blackwell.

While in the UK he had paid his taxes and had made a good contribution to the economy as a truck driver, of which there was a great shortage.

“He is deeply apologetic for what has happened and as approached himself to a great degree. He feels he has let down his family, his employer and himself. The greatest punishment is that that he has imposed upon himself, and that is the loss of his driving licence, which is inevitable,” said Mr Blackwell.

Borowski was banned from driving for 22 months and fined £200.

He will also have to pay costs of £84 and a surcharge of £34. He was not interested in taking up the offer of a drink-drivers rehabilitation course, as he planned to return to his home country.