‘Speeding drunk’
A Lara man caught driving 88km/h too fast has returned a blood-alcohol reading more than double the legal limit, police have alleged.
Police expected to charge the 32-year-old on summons with speeding and drink driving after he allegedly drove at 188km/h in a 100km/h zone on Geelong’s ring road before blowing .107 in an evidentiary breath test.
Rise thwarted
A Geelong minor party MP has helped defeat a State Government bid to increase politicians’ pay by up to 24 per cent before failing to impose a 2.5 per cent cap on any future rises.
Derryn Hinch’s Justice Party’s Stuart Grimley said he voted with the coalition and crossbenchers to defeat the pay rise push but was one of only three Upper House MPs who supported the cap.
Petrol spill
A petrol tanker roll-over has forced emergency services to close a road at Birregurra.
Crews rushed to clean spilled petrol off Forrest Rd on Thursday as Vic Emergency urged motorists to avoid the area and find alternative routes through Barwon Downs.
Storages drained
Consumers have drained more than 1.1 billion litres from the region’s water storages in seven days amid an absence of rain, according to official measurements.
Barwon Water recorded storage capacity down to 41.2 per cent on Tuesday, the lowest level at the beginning of autumn since 2016.
Thefts ‘increase’
Geelong Police have urged motorists to adopt a routine of locking their vehicles overnight without any valuables inside after noting a theft increase across the city.
Theft from vehicles had risen recently despite “constant reminders” for owners to take precautions such as removing valuables from inside, police said.
Ombudsman’s trial
A trial Victorian Ombudsman’s office in Geelong has given residents “greater access” for making complaints about government bodies, Ombudsman Deborah Glass has announced.
The office was open from 10am to 3.30pm Thursdays at East Geelong’s Eastern Hub to hear complaints about organisations including councils, government departments, public schools and authorities like VicRoads.
Pair wanted
Police are hunting a man and woman after they allegedly knocked over a property owner while fleeing his house at Norlane.
Investigators released security camera images of the unknown pair late last week with a call to help identify them, alleging the male felled the owner after he disturbed them inside the Thrush St property.
