A mother-of-two who took children to McDonald's after smoking cannabis was shopped to police by drive-thru employees because she looked stoned.

Tracey Letchford, 42, had pulled up in a red Ford Fiesta at the McDonald's drive-thru in Courteney Road, Gillingham, on April 8 to buy the youngsters some dinner.

However, as she ordered employees thought she was under the influence of drugs, so called officers to the scene.

Letchford, of Southill Road, Chatham, was later given a drug test and failed it, but when officers did checks, they also found she didn't have a valid licence to drive nor insurance for the car.

She was charged with three offences, being in charge of a vehicle while over the drug-limit, driving without a licence and without insurance. She pleaded guilty to all the offences when she appeared before magistrates in Medway on October 26.

The court heard when she gave the drug test she was found to have 3.4 micrograms of Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol, in her blood, the legal limit is two micrograms.

James Nichols prosecuting said: "She admitted to officers she's had cannabis a few hours before. There were children in the car. She has previously been disqualified from driving for two years in 2019."

Defending herself, Letchford said: "I took the children to McDonald's for dinner I had smoked it at about 1pm that day and I take it mainly as a painkiller for arthritis. I have now gone to the doctor for the pain as I can't deal with it."

Letchford also told magistrates she thought she was able to drive on a provisional licence.

The bench was also told that being in charge of a vehicle while over the drug-limit did not carry mandatory driving ban, but a discretionary one or the alternative of 10 points.

Magistrates fined Letchford £120 and ordered she pay a victim surcharge of £34 and £85 costs and banned her from driving for six months for the cannabis offence.

She received no separate penalty for the no insurance and no licence offences, but her licence will be endorsed.