School bus driver given driving ban after crashing whilst 3 times over the limit

The driver of a school bus in Gloucester has lost his licence after pleading guilty to drink drive charge

A court heard this week how a school bus driver from Gloucestershire crashed his vehicle whilst three times over the drink drive limit.

The driver, Anthony Hoskins, had minutes earlier dropped off a group of primary school children, when he then reversed his single-decker bus into a building.

Following the incident, Mr Hoskins was breathalysed at the scene. After discovering that the driver was three times over the limit, he was then taken away by police.

The reason given for the high level of alcohol found in the bus driver’s blood stream, was that he had attended the funeral of a friend the previous day and had been drinking heavily at the wake.

A council spokesperson stressed that the safety of their children was of paramount importance, and that the driver in question had passed a CRB check and other criminal checks. He said the council would now launch a “review into our procedures for dealing with incidents like this.”

Mr Hoskins is also the owner of the Chepstow based coach company, TJ Travel. At a court hearing held this week at Cheltenham Magistrates Court, the coach company boss entered a guilty plea for the charge of driving with excess alcohol.

The defendant was banned from driving for 25 months, and given a 14-week jail sentence, suspended for 12 months. Mr Hoskins will also undertake 200-hours of unpaid work.