Boy, 11, reports his mother to police for drink-driving - in the middle of a car trip

The woman reportedly has more than 30 previous convictions including violence against her sons

Cambridge police say they have seen an increase in young people shoplifting basic personal hygiene items such as underwear, sanitary items and toiletries (iStock)

A woman has been arrested in northern Spain on suspicion of drink-driving after her worried 11-year-old son persuaded her to stop at a petrol station so he could use the lavatory, then alerted the police.

The boy and his younger brother had been picked up by their mother earlier this week at the care centre where they live, near Girona. The woman has more than 30 previous convictions including violence against her sons, according to police, but had been granted permission to spend the day with them.

The elder boy later told police it was clear his mother, who has not been named, was inebriated and he told her he needed to stop to relieve himself. Instead, he used the stop to persuade workers there to call the police.

El Pais newspaper reported that the woman became abusive when officers arrived, and refused to submit to a breath test, and she was then arrested.