Pilot charged with drink offence

A pilot has been charged with preparing to fly a plane while over the legal alcohol limit.

Scotland Yard said Briton Charles Nicholls, 53, who lives in Brunei, was charged under the Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003.

A Royal Brunei Airlines flight to Brunei from Heathrow airport, in west London, was delayed by two hours in July when a pilot was breathalysed.

Mr Nicholls is due to appear before Uxbridge Magistrates next Wednesday.

Royal Brunei Airlines said in a statement that Mr Nicholls had been sacked following an internal disciplinary inquiry.

It said the inquiry found he had been "in contravention of both Royal Brunei Airlines' Employment Regulations and also the Company Operational Procedures".