A mum was caught drink-driving with her three children in tow hours after speaking out about the difficulty of returning to work due to childcare costs.

Earlier that day, former civil servant but currently unemployed Maxine Watts had been drinking wine before she crashed her vehicle into another car during a shopping errand to get her kids something for dinner.

She exchanged details with the other driver, who then called police to say the 40-year-old was slurring her words and her breath smelled of alcohol. 

Police arrested her at her home and conducted a roadside breath test, which was positive.

She was then taken to a police station, where she later failed to provide a breath sample on nine different occasions at the police station due to ‘difficulties’.

Several hours prior to her arrest in September the single mum had been interviewed by her local newspaper about childcare costs, claiming she was unable to return to work because it would cost her £2,355 a month to put her daughters, aged four and two, and son, aged one, into a nursery.

Five days after her arrest the article was printed in the Wirral Globe with Watts, who used to work as a local authority manager, declaring: ‘I want to start being able to provide for my family.’

A court heard Watts, formerly of Werneth, Oldham, had drunk two 120ml glasses of wine after completing the interview then went to the shops.

At Chester Magistrates’ Court, Watts admitted failing to provide a specimen of breath and was banned from driving for 16 months.

Georgia Leyland, prosecuting, said: ‘It was September 23 and around 6.15pm. Witnesses were both in their car on Gleneagles Road, Little Sutton, when the defendant reversed into their car’s passenger door.

‘The defendant stopped nearby and exchanged details with the driver. However, the witnesses said they could smell intoxicating liquor on her breath. There were children in the car and she appeared to be slurring her words.

‘The witnesses phoned the police as the defendant drove away. Officers attended the defendant’s address where a roadside breath test proved positive. 

‘She was taken to custody where she was given nine attempts to provide a sample of breath but she failed to provide a sample. She failed to blow into the machine correctly.

‘It is believed she had difficulty with the procedure but it was still assessed as being a deliberate failure to provide a sample of breath. She does suffer from asthma and was trying to provide a sample but failed to do so. She had nine attempts to complete it.’

Watts had no previous convictions on her record. Her lawyer Steve Coupe said that he did not consider the offence a ‘deliberate refusal’ and added: ‘You have heard that this lady is of good character.

‘It is right to say that she’s ashamed to be in court this afternoon. It was a Friday and she had spent a large part of the day preparing and participating in a newspaper article for a local newspaper which highlighted the lack of affordable childcare for mothers wanting to go into work.

‘The aggravating feature is that she was involved in a road traffic collision and there were children in the car.

‘But in the police station she did try to provide a specimen of breath. I have a letter from her GP to show she does have asthma.

‘She did provide one sample that was acceptable. She did not say “no” to providing a sample, which in my submission was not a deliberate refusal.’

In addition to her driving ban, JPs also fined Watts £120 and made her pay £168 in costs and victim surcharge.

According to the newspaper report Watts featured in, the single mum had previously given other interviews to the same outlet in which she shared her tips for saving on energy bills during the cost of living crisis.

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