Lorry driver jailed for causing Tyne Tunnel closure chaos on Great North Run day
and live on Freeview channel 276
Altaf Hussain, 49, ignored or failed to acknowledge the height restriction and guided his 44-tonne HGV into the wrong lane – causing more than £20,000 worth of damage to the tunnel roof.
After travelling for around 600m, with debris flying everywhere, Hussain pulled over and quizzed by Northumbria Police.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdTests later determined he had more than twice the legal limit of morphine in his system.
His actions caused caused huge disruption on September 8, 2019, as thousands of Great North Run competitors tried to get back north of the river from the run’s South Shields finish line.
The northbound tunnel was closed for around 90 minutes as the emergency services dealt with the incident.
Hussain, of Bowling Hall Road, Bradford, admitted dangerous driving and driving while impaired through drugs when he appeared at Newcastle Crown Court and received a 19-week prison sentence.