Richard Hammond has issued a caution regarding alcohol consumption following his recent traffic violations.
The former Top Gear presenter, aged 56, shared the warning through social media platforms, addressing the topic of consuming rum while operating a boat.
The broadcaster collaborated with Oxfordshire farmer Jeremy Clarkson and James May during his tenure with the BBC programme Top Gear and subsequently with Prime Video’s The Grand Tour, a working relationship spanning 22 years before concluding in 2024.
The presenter also visited Woodstock last summer for Salon Privé, an event held at Blenheim Palace, which sits within his former co-star’s home county.
Filmed from a vessel’s passenger seat, the presenter discussed his new interest in sailing, noting the simplicity of the pursuit requiring only sunglasses and a beverage he proceeded to promote.
The beverage in question was Bearing, his Caribbean spiced rum, which he described as having undergone oak barrel ageing with a carefully balanced blend of spices resulting in richness and quality.
The presenter directed viewers to find Bearing alongside his Ratio Gin and Iron Ridge Whisky products at hammondspirits.com and in Waitrose stores across the country, wishing viewers enjoyable boating experiences.
Beneath the video content, the presenter included a public advisory emphasising that individuals should never operate boats while under the influence of alcohol.
The video emerged several weeks following reports that the presenter had entered guilty pleas to multiple speeding charges.
The 56-year-old was operating a Porsche when detected exceeding the speed limit on December 2 of the previous year, and was detected again 20 days subsequent while at the wheel of a Bentley.
West Mercia Police initiated two separate prosecutions, presenting photographic evidence from speed cameras depicting the presenter driving the vehicles within Herefordshire to substantiate the offences.
Through legal representatives, the presenter acknowledged responsibility for two speeding charges.
At Telford Magistrates’ Court during the previous week, seven penalty points were imposed upon his driving licence.
Presiding magistrate Ann Minton directed payment of a combined sum amounting to £1,771, comprising fines of £333 and £666, additional costs of £240 and victim surcharges totalling £532.
Court documentation revealed that the first detection occurred on December 2 when a police officer equipped with a handheld speed monitoring device captured the vehicle shortly before 1pm.
The Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo was recorded travelling at 68mph in an area where the speed restriction stood at 50mph, along the A40 at Pencraig within Herefordshire.
On December 22 at approximately 11.45am, the Bentley Continental GT driven by the presenter was captured travelling at 82mph in a 70mph limit on the A50 Rudhall Overbridge, also situated in Herefordshire.
Officials dispatched the speeding notices to three properties valued at one million pounds or more belonging to the television personality.
These encompassed a Grade II* listed Herefordshire castle acquired by the presenter in 2012, together with a million-pound farming estate located near Hereford, though the correspondence was returned with markings indicating the recipient was no longer at those addresses.
Authorities eventually established his whereabouts at his residence valued at two million pounds in the vicinity of Abergavenny in Wales, where records indicated more than 30 motor vehicles are presently registered.