A police officer got behind the wheel of her car while drunk – but insists she was not driving when her vehicle hit another, a court heard.

Dione Mayfield (below) was a temporary inspector with Kent Police at the time.

The 32-year-old, who lives in Rainham, has since been suspended from duty. Mayfield is charged with driving her Ford Focus while her alcohol level was above the legal limit on September 25, 2009, in Bloors Lane, Rainham. She is said to have had 103 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35.

She is also charged with failing to stop at the scene of an accident on the same day, in the same place. She denies both charges. She says a man called Jason was driving her car at the time of the accident.

In evidence, she admitted driving her vehicle while drunk but not in Bloors Lane. She says it was while she was trying to move her car to a safer place, after Jason abandoned it in Pembury Way.

The court heard that Jodie Roddie was dropping her children off at Thames View School, in Bloors Lane.

As she took her daughter out of her car seat, she heard a crack and felt the door of her Nissan Qashqai hit the back of her head.

She said: “I started to run after the car. I started running and shouting 'Stop’.”

Mrs Roddie chased the car down Bloors Lane, into Pembury Way and then Mayfield Clo se, where she confronted Mayfield, who she said smelt strongly of alcohol.

A number of witnesses told district judge Michael Kelly they had seen only one person in the car at the time it was driving down Bloors Lane.

Mrs Roddie said she kept the car in sight the entire time and did not see it stop to let anyone out.

Giving evidence, Mayfield said she had met Jason as she came out of The Cricketers pub in Rainham High Street on September 24.

The pair went back to her house where they were drinking until 5am. A court order bans us from telling you Mayfield’s full address.

She was woken by Jason at 8am and they went out, with him driving the car at the time of the accident.

Mayfield said they had an argument over the damage to her car as Jason pulled into Pembury Way.

Mayfield told the court: “Jason got out of the car and he really slammed the car door and he started walking off. I got over the console from my side to the driver’s side.”

The defence said Mayfield admits it was her car which was involved in the accident, and that she did drive it while over the legal drink-drive limit.

But she insists Jason was driving at the time of the accident.

The defence says witnesses could easily have mistaken Mayfield for the driver when she was, in fact, in the passenger seat.

DS Adam Marshall told the court the police had tried to find Jason, to no avail. He also said he viewed CCTV from The Cricketers pub but there was no sign of Mayfield in any of the footage.

Mayfield handed the police a bottle of Courvoisier, two glasses and an ashtray which she said she and Jason were using the night before the accident. The items were sent away for testing but results showed only Mayfield’s DNA.

The case was adjourned until today (Tuesday) at Maidstone Magistrates’ Court, where district judge Kelly will hear the remaining evidence.