A drunk driver crawled in his car for some distance along a motorway the wrong way before finally being brought to a halt by highways agency officers, a court heard.

Yet Marius Bruj has been spared jail despite downing several whiskies before getting behind the wheel of his Vauxhall Insignia and driving for seven-and-a-half miles against the traffic.

When police officers arrived on the scene they saw that one of the 24-year-old Romanian fruit picker’s tyres was shredded and down to the rim.

A judge described the driving as “drunken foolishness rather than aggressive thrill-seeking behaviour”.

He added that the consequences could have been catastrophic, but Bruj, of Lower Boxley Road, Maidstone, walked free with a suspended prison sentence after admitting dangerous driving and drink-driving.

Maidstone Crown Court was told police started receiving calls at 2am on April 15 about a Romanian registered car driving the wrong way on the A289 and then the M2 coastbound in the London bound carriageway.

Prosecutor Mary Jacobson said it was spotted near the Four Elms roundabout and went over the Medway bridge against the traffic.

The two highways officers saw headlights coming towards them on the motorway and then the Insignia driving at about 20-30mph and stopping and starting.

They managed to stop the car in lane four by blocking it in.

“By their actions, the two officers stopped the car from continuing,” said Miss Jacobson. “He had driven approximately seven-and-a-half miles on the wrong side of the road.

“Mr Bruj struggled to stand unaided. He was staggering backwards onto his car. He was clearly drunk. He said he drank several whiskies before driving. He would not comment on how much alcohol he had.

"He was staggering backwards onto his car. He was clearly drunk..." - prosecutor Mary Jacobson

“He said he knew he made a mistake by taking the wrong side of the road but didn’t know how to get back. He was flashing his lights at oncoming vehicles.”

Bruj, who has held a licence in the UK for six years, failed a roadside breath test and after his arrest was found to be twice the legal alcohol limit.

He was sentenced to eight months imprisonment suspended for 18 months with 200 hours unpaid work.

He was banned from driving for two years and will be subject to a tagged curfew from 10pm to 4.30am for three months.

Gordon Carse, defending, said it was “fortuitous rather than by design” that Bruj did not collide with any other vehicles. “The risk is plain for everyone to see,” he added.

Mr Carse said Bruj’s family was on the breadline and if he were sent to prison they would not be able to remain in the UK.

“This was a rare occasion when he was drinking alcohol,” he said. “He didn’t initially intend to drink. He can’t for the life of him explain why he got behind the wheel in his state.

“He made a mistake. The only saving grace is because of the timing there would be less traffic on the roads. He accepted his driving on any rationale would be dangerous. It could have had tragic consequences.

“He is utterly fearful of prison. The clang of the prison door has had an effect on him. As a reminder of his stupid decision, I submit he could be given a suspended sentence with unpaid work.”

Judge Julian Smith told Bruj: “What happened makes for grim reading. It was a bad decision on your part, taken I am sure because you were so heavily intoxicated. You should not have been driving.

“It was a further bad decision by you to drive on the wrong side of the road. The truth of it is they are criminal decisions and the consequences could have been catastrophic.”

But the judge said there was strong mitigation in Bruj’s “work record, diligence and personal circumstances generally”.

He added: “Your decision making on that night was perhaps some of the worst I have come across. You were guilty of utterly dreadful behaviour and you must be punished.”

Bruj will have to take an extended test before being allowed to drive again.