A group of Fulton Hogan road-workers unwittingly had their work ute stolen briefly by an intoxicated 20-year-old American tourist in Queenstown, after they let her sit inside it.
Queenstown Police told the Southland Times that the female tourist who lives in Sydney, approached the road-workers on Suburb Street at 5.50am one morning and asked if she could sit inside their work ute to keep warm while she waited for a taxi to arrive.
Police say the workers agreed, so the woman got into the cab and then immediately drove off, at the time the ute was also hitched up to a trailer with a flashing warning light.
After driving a short distance the woman performed a U-turn in the ute and headed back towards the crew of road-workers who managed to flag her down.
Police arrived at the scene where she was breath tested and blew 739mcg.
The woman has been charged with unlawfully taking a vehicles and is expected to appear in the Invercargill district court.
