A police officer has been charged with drink driving after colleagues saw him travelling the wrong way on a dual carriageway late at night

A police officer has been charged with drink driving after colleagues saw him travelling the wrong way on a dual carriageway late at night.

The 38-year-old, who works for Cleveland Police, was stopped as he drove towards oncoming traffic on the A66 near Middlesbrough last week.

He was arrested on suspicion of driving with excess alcohol. He was not believed to be on-duty or in a police vehicle at the time.

If found guilty the officer, from Billingham, County Durham, is likely to face a gross misconduct hearing.

He is due to appear at Teesside Magistrates Court next month to face a charge of drink driving.

Last year Cleveland Police inspector Tina Notman was caught drink-driving in Stockton-on-Tees.

A subsequent breath test showed she had 75 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, more than twice the legal limit.

Notman was banned from driving for 17 months and fined £450 in May 2018. She has since retired.

She had been named Middlesbrough Neighbourhood Police Officer of the Year in 2016 after backing projects including a road safety event.

Belfast Telegraph