On September 6, at 1:40 am, Dr. Laura Quest, a 61-year-old locum gastroenterologist, was arrested at Lymm services on the M6 after police suspected she was drunk at the wheel of her Citroen C4, which was parked awkwardly across two bays.

Dr. Quest was approached by two officers who, noticing her "glazed" eyes, initially attributed her appearance to tiredness. However, she was asked to complete a roadside breath test but was unable to provide a sample. Consequently, she was arrested on charges of failing to cooperate with the preliminary test and taken to the police station.

At the station, Dr. Quest underwent a separate breath test and recorded a zero reading for alcohol. Nonetheless, she was still charged for failing to cooperate with police at the roadside. These events also led to her losing her locum position at Tameside General Hospital when she could not attend a morning clinic due to her arrest.

During her court appearance at Warrington magistrates court, Dr. Quest admitted to the charge of failing to cooperate with the preliminary test. She received an absolute discharge but was fined £120 and given six penalty points for driving without insurance, which she claimed was a "paperwork error." Additionally, she was ordered to pay £80 in costs and a £48 victim surcharge.

It was noted in court that she had received a six-month driving disqualification under the totting-up procedure from previous speeding offences. District Judge Jack McGarva remarked on the unusual nature of the case, stating: "Police were certainly confused as they put you down as being tired, which you say was the true position."

The judge expressed that while Dr. Quest was technically guilty of failing to provide a sample, he believed she was "morally blameless." He urged her to handle her driving affairs responsibly to avoid further penalties.

Prosecutor Diana Przemecka detailed the events leading to Dr. Quest's arrest, emphasizing that initial observations were attributed to tiredness before the situation escalated to the request for a breath test and subsequent arrest due to her inability to provide a sample.

Dr. Quest recounted to the court: “I had been working all day and was driving home when I got tired, so I pulled into Lymm Services for a nap.” She maintained that she was not drunk but merely exhausted from a long day at work.

After the hearing, Dr. Quest expressed her dissatisfaction with how the police handled the situation, describing her treatment as harsh. She mentioned feeling unfairly scrutinized and isolated during the encounter, which ultimately affected her ability to continue working in her locum position.