Motorist, 85, arrested after driving the wrong way down the A30 for 23 miles

An 85-year-old motorist drove the wrong way down the A30 for 23 miles after being confused by the layout of slip roads. James Andrews narrowly missed other vehicles after getting on to the A30 at Kennards House, near Launceston, before he was stopped by the police near Fraddon.

A court heard Andrews realised he was going the wrong way along the road but did not know what to do. Cornwall magistrates court in Bodmin heard he was driving at between 60mph and 70mph along the road for 25 minutes before police stopped him.

His lawyer claimed he was driving at 40mph and 'praying for the police to get him away'.

Read more: Alcoholic set ex-partner's St Ives garden on fire in drunken row

Read more: Teen girl assaults five cops in violent rampage

Andrews, of Kirkinner, Newton Stewart, Dumfries and Galloway, admitted dangerous driving in June 2022 on the A30 at Two Bridges. Prosecutor Chris Rendell said numerous calls were made by the time he was stopped after a journey of 23 miles which took 25 minutes.

He said another driver had to swerve out of the way to avoid his white Vauxhall Astra but there were no serious collisions. Defence solicitor Barry Hilliard said it had been a 'frightening experience' for the retired miner.

Join CornwallLive on WhatsApp and be first to hear what's happening near you - Cornwall Live

He said Andrews was visiting his brother in Camelford from his home in Scotland having not seen him for some time because of the pandemic. He said Andrews realised he was in the wrong place but did not know what to do and drove at 40mph and prayed for the police to stop him and get him off the road.

He said Andrews was arrested and interviewed that day but it had taken almost two years to get the case to court. The Bodmin JPs fined him a total of £730 with costs and banned him from driving for a year, although Andrews said he has not driven since the incident.

Get the best stories about the things you love most curated by us and delivered to your inbox every day. Choose what you love here