A driver has been allegedly caught drink-driving twice in less than two and a half hours.
Officers spotted the 38-year old man driving in Fyshwick, a suburb on the southeastern outskirts of Canberra, just after midnight on Sunday.
After being breathalysed, the driver returned a positive blood alcohol reading and was charged with high range driving.
He was issued an immediate suspension notice and was released from custody to face the ACT Magistrates Court in 2024.
But what was expected to be a routine drink driving charge took an unexpected turn when just two hours later, the very same driver in the very same vehicle was allegedly seen by police passing through a red light in a neighbouring street.
Subsequently, the driver was intercepted by police and arrested for a second time.
The man was then transported to the ACT Watch House, where he was recorded with a breath alcohol concentration of 0.216 – more than four times the legal limit.
For a second time that evening, the driver was charged with high range drink driving.
He was also charged on two other counts – driving while suspended and entering an intersection contrary to a traffic signal.
In a statement issued after the incident, ACT Policing urged road users to ensure they had a safe means to get home if they were planning to consume alcohol.