Serving officer convicted of drink driving – Midlands

A serving British Transport Police (BTP) officer has been convicted of drink driving, following an investigation by Staffordshire Police.

PC Megan Skelding, 30, pleaded guilty to driving a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol on Wednesday 9 September at Cannock Magistrates’ Court.

The court heard that at 2am on Friday 7 August 2026, PC Skelding was off duty and driving a vehicle in Staffordshire when it collided with another vehicle which was parked and unoccupied.

The collision caused damage to both vehicles and local officers attended and breathalysed PC Skelding, who failed the test and was arrested. Skelding’s lowest reading was 52 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, which exceeds the prescribed limit of 35 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath.

PC Skelding was disqualified from driving for 12 months and fined £120. She was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £48 and court costs of £85.

She is currently suspended from duty and internal misconduct proceedings will now follow.  

Deputy Chief Constable Stuart Cundy said: “The public rightly expect police officers to act responsibly and lawfully both on and off duty – and drink driving in particular is a serious offence where there is significant risk of harm to others.

“Any conviction of a serving police officer so seriously undermines public confidence in policing - police officers are entrusted to uphold the law and this trust is diminished when they break the law.

"Following PC Skelding’s conviction, we will now be taking the next steps for internal disciplinary proceedings."