Audi driver fails drugs test after clocking 140mph on the M1 in Northamptonshire

Police alerted by "strong aroma coming from the RS4..one that every officer would recognise!"
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Northamptonshire traffic police have revealed an Audi driver caught clocking 140mph on the M1 on Saturday failed a drugs test.

Two Audis were spotted speeding by officers in an unmarked vehicle — only slowing down for speed cameras on the section between junction 19 and junction 16.

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One of the two — a sporty RS4 with a top speed of 174mph — was finally halted near junction 17 where the driver tested positive for cocaine and cannabis.

The driver of this speeding Audi RS4 is heading to court after also failing a drug test after being stopped on the M1. Photo: @Northants_RPUThe driver of this speeding Audi RS4 is heading to court after also failing a drug test after being stopped on the M1. Photo: @Northants_RPU
The driver of this speeding Audi RS4 is heading to court after also failing a drug test after being stopped on the M1. Photo: @Northants_RPU

PC Dave Lee, from the Northamptonshire Police Safer Roads Team, said: "There was a rather strong aroma coming from the RS4, which I would describe as a herbal plant and one that every officer would recognise.

"A drugwipe was carried out on the driver and eight minutes later we had a positive test for cannabis and cocaine as well as the excess speed on the motorway.

"The driver said he had only just bought the car and was heading back to Manchester. It's not great when you need your licence for a living but, quite simply, he is lucky he didn't have a blowout or anything."

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"The other Audi will be getting a notice of intended prosecution in the next few days."

"It must be drive an Audi badly day" quipped PC Lee after pulling over a speeding S3 on Saturday"It must be drive an Audi badly day" quipped PC Lee after pulling over a speeding S3 on Saturday
"It must be drive an Audi badly day" quipped PC Lee after pulling over a speeding S3 on Saturday

It was a busy day for PC Lee who also booked a Mercedes and another Audi for speeding — on a day when a lorry driver died on a section of the M1 a few miles away, just south of Northampton.

A Mercedes GLC topped 100mph between speed cameras while a unlucky Audi S3 owner shot past Highways England's unmarked HGV vehicle which is used to keep watch for truckers flouting the laws and was finally reeled in past junction 1 on the M6.

Speeding and drug-driving are two of the 'Fatal Four' offences — alongside not wearing a seatbelt and using a mobile phone — which are most commonly linked to deaths and serious injuries on the road.

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PC Lee added: "Motorists who continue to ignore the rules of the roads are putting their lives and others at risk.

“I have seen first-hand the devastating effect speeding can have not only on those involved in a collision but also family, friends and the wider community, so please stick to the speed limits.”