Police officers left stunned after pulling over HGV driver on M6

Officers carried out a breath test on the 35-year-old when he pulled into the Stafford Motorway Services

10:45, 05 Sep 2025

A HGV driver has been jailed for being 'well over' the drink-drive limit as he drove along 'one of the busiest motorways in the country'.

Police pulled Alaiksandr Sharafanovich over after spotting him on the M6 on Tuesday, September 2.

He'd been driving along the northbound carriageway between junctions 14 and 15.

Officers carried out a breath test on the 35-year-old when he pulled into the Stafford Motorway Services.

He blew 124 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath - more than three times the legal limit of 35.

Sharafanovich, of no fixed address, was arrested and taken to custody, where a second breath test was carried out.

The second test recorded 120 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath

He was charged and appeared at the North Staffordshire[2] Justice Centre on Wednesday, September 3, where he pleaded guilty to driving a motor vehicle when alcohol level above the legal limit.

Sharafanovich was jailed for 12 weeks, disqualified from driving for 30-months-and-42-days, and fined GBP239.

Following the sentencing, Chief Inspector Scott McGrath, from Staffordshire Police's Road Crime Team, said: "If it wasn't for the proactive intervention of our officers, Sharafanovich could have easily gone on to cause serious injury and even death.

"He was well over the limit and was a significant danger to other road users and himself, all while driving a heavy goods vehicle on one of the busiest motorways in the country.

"We are acting robustly against those committing offences on our roads in Staffordshire and putting other lives at risk."

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References

1. ^ NHS surgeon given GBP466k after awful lie about having his own legs amputated jailed (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
2. ^ Staffordshire (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
3. ^ @birmingham_live (twitter.com)
4. ^ Facebook (www.facebook.com)
5. ^ here (data.reachplc.com)