A lorry driver has been charged with drink-driving after he reportedly fell asleep at the wheel and crashed into the central reservation of the A1(M) near Harrogate.

The Scania heavy goods vehicle was heading south on the road when the incident happened at 10.25pm on Friday.

It crashed into the barrier about half-a-mile before junction 46 near Wetherby Services.

The lorry blocked the middle and outer lanes until it was recovered at 1am on Saturday.

North Yorkshire Police and National Highways managed traffic past the scene during the recovery operation and collision investigation.

The 25-year-old driver, from Cahersiveen, Ireland, was arrested and later charged with driving whilst unfit through drink — according to police, a road-side test found him to be more than double the legal limit for alcohol.

He was also charged with driving without due care and attention and will appear before Harrogate Magistrates’ Court on 17 February 2022, 10am, court room 1.

Read more:

• Police say wanted man may be in Harrogate
• Police commissioner proposes £10 council tax hike

Police will be patrolling the Harrogate district’s main roads in a HGV cab as part of a new campaign to catch drivers using mobile phones.

North Yorkshire Police said today it had borrowed the cab to give them a better view to detect mobile phone use and other dangerous behaviour.

The campaign, named Operation Tramline, follows a similar initiative last year that caught a man who took both hands off the wheel to use his phone and a lorry driver who rolled a cigarette.

Highways England, which runs Operation Tramline nationally and owns three unmarked cabs, is loaning the vehicle.

Traffic Constable Mark Patterson, of North Yorkshire Police’s roads policing group, said he had seen people lose their lives because motorists got distracted. He added:

“All drivers on our roads know using a mobile phone while driving is wrong. But nobody thinks they’ll be the driver that causes one of those incidents.

“Catching those offences as they happen, then using enforcement and education is one way we can make our roads safer for everyone.

“Using Highways England’s HGV cab during Op Tramline is an excellent way to do that, as it gives us an unparalleled vantage point.”

Read more:

• North Yorkshire police prepare for ‘influx of visitors’ as lockdown eases
• Political parties confirm candidates for police commissioner elections

Several other roads policing units also take part in the operation.

If officers in the lorry see an offence taking place, it is recorded by the passenger. Marked units then pull the vehicle over and the driver is dealt with immediately.

The HGV cab loaned to police.

Last year North Yorkshire Police also discovered:

• A tractor driver, who shouldn’t even have been on the motorway, driving whilst using a mobile phone who still had alcohol in his system from drinking the previous night.
• A disqualified driver, driving an overweight van and trailer and using his phone at the same time.
• Drivers of various vehicles seen reading/checking paperwork whilst driving on the motorway.
• Various drivers seen talking on their phones, some completely oblivious to the fact that they were being recorded.

The drivers received fixed penalty notices, which typically include a fine and points on their licence.

Works to improve the A1 (M) Junction 47 have been given the green light despite already being 50% over budget.

The junction will be upgraded to include traffic signals and to widen the slip roads.

Additionally, an extra traffic lane will be installed on the eastbound A59 between the Flaxby roundabout and the A1(M) junction.

Traffic signals will also be installed at the A59/A168 junction just to the east of the A1(M) junction.

North Yorkshire County Council has approved the scheme and is working with Highways England to deliver the project by March 2021.

The original estimated costs were £5.03 million but that has now been revised up to £7.766 million – which is 54% over budget.

However, the work will still go-ahead with surplus money from the Harrogate to York rail improvements being moved to fill the A1 (M) Junction 47 shortfall.

Council documents reveal that the work will take the Nightingale Hospital into account when phasing the carriageway works and that the costs could increase further by another £200,000.

The documents also highlight how coronavirus social distancing measures are “likely” to have an impact on start dates and the project costs.