Coach driver was boozed up in his vehicle

Magistrates in Prestatyn, North Wales, heard this month how Roy Marklew was found sitting in his driver’s seat with the engine running but told police he did not intend to drive as he had a bad back.

However, magistrates found him guilty of being in charge of the vehicle with excess alcohol. He was banned from driving for six months, fined £360 and must pay £300 costs and a £36 victim surcharge.

Police constable Andrew Collis said he went to the Four Oaks Hotel, in Llandudno, on April 22, and found Marklew in his coach. The engine was running and he was wearing his uniform.

The officer could smell alcohol and Marklew was found to have 67 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath.

The court was told about 20 guests had gathered to go on an outing to Snowdonia but the trip had to be cancelled.

Marklew, 54, of Whitehouse Rise, Belper, told the court that he had worked for the Chesterfield-based Nova Coach Tours for 12 years but had recently been suffering from sciatica.

Following his arrest, Marklew claimed he had called his boss to explain he was in such pain he could not drive and asked for a relief driver.

Bench chairman Dawn Davies said: “If you had driven that day it would have caused serious risk to the public.”