This is the moment Wiltshire Police officers chase a drunk HGV driver for over 20 miles on the M4 before reportedly using a spiked stinger to bring the vehicle to a stop.

The driver of the 44-tonne lorry, named as Andrew Champion, 53, was sentenced to 14 months in prison and banned from driving for four years and seven months.

In the footage, the police are seen chasing the suspect on the M4 as the voice of PC Jay Clifton explains that he has been “on the roads policing unit for 17 years and I’ve never seen anything like that before”.

The Wiltshire Police shared the footage on social media on 4th October with the message: “An HGV driver has been jailed for over a year after he was found to be nearly five times over the drink drive limit.

“Andrew Champion was first spotted driving his 44-tonne lorry erratically on the M4 near Swindon.”

On the morning of 6th May, Champion was spotted driving erratically on the M4 near Swindon, veering between lanes with damage to his lorry.

PC Clifton of Wiltshire’s Road Policing Unit arrived on the scene first and saw that the operator of a Highways Maintenance Vehicle had turned on his lights to warn road users of Champion’s erratic driving.

The traffic cop said: “He was effectively creating rolling barrier on the motorway and slowing other members of the public down to stop them from passing and getting anywhere near the lorry. That person’s (maintenance worker) actions, I’ve no idea who it is to this day, probably saved lives.”

He added: “The lorry weaved from the second lane on to the hard shoulder, missing a recovery vehicle and the vehicle being recovered by a couple of feet. How he didn’t hit them, I don’t know. It was terrifying.”

The police used a stinger to bring the lorry to a stop near Reading and Champion was removed from the cab. Inside, officers discovered a half-drunk whisky bottle next to the driver’s seat.

According to the police, a breathalyser test showed that he had 174mg of alcohol in 100ml of breath, almost five times over the limit of 35mg.

Champion pleaded guilty to drink driving and dangerous driving at Newport Crown Court on 27th September, and was jailed for 14 months and banned from driving for four years and seven months.

Along with a fine of GBP 156, Champion will have to sit an extended retest when his ban finishes.

After the sentencing, PC Clifton said: “It’s not the damage he could do to himself which is going to happen, it’s the danger to other members of the public.

“Had he crossed the carriageway into oncoming vehicles, had he gone into the roadworks and hit a member of the maintenance crew – people could have died.”