Essex vigilante wants pubs to stop serving drivers

Ron Nepean, a 62-year-old ex-Chelmsford resident, is taking action to force Essex pubs to stop serving alcohol to drivers. During the day he is speaking with local MPs regarding his proposal to outlaw pubs and restaurants from serving alcohol to drivers; at night he is spying on pubs to report drunk drivers to the police.

Mr Nepean stopped drinking four years ago. He has already managed to get one local pub closed after forcing a man’s prosecution.

Why is he doing this now? Following the death of good friend Keith Sargent at the hands of a drunk driver, Mr Nepean and two of his friends have started acting in memory of their friend. In 2006 Keith Sargent’s car collided with that of Darren Floyd, who had drunk eight pints of lager in a drinking binge.

“This is something really close to my heart and I am going to do the absolute ultimate,” said the grandfather-of-five. Mr Nepean believes that the legal driving limit should be abolished in favour of a zero-alcohol limit. “What we will do is we’ll identify the pub, take the car registration of someone we suspect is drink-driving and leave it for a couple of weeks before phoning the police, telling them there is a problem at a certain pub. It only takes one arrest.”

In 2012 there were 6,680 drink-driving accidents in the UK, and 290 people were killed as a result of drink-driving.

Mr Nepean added: “I have seen people drink three or four pints of Stella, which would blow my head off, and get in their car as the publican waves them off. People are being killed.”

A police spokesman said that anyone with knowledge or evidence of a motorist suspected of drink-driving or suspected of being about to commit the offence should call the police on 999.