Traffic Cops Star Nick Lovatt Sacked After Committing More Than 20 Road Traffic Offences

PC Nicholas Lovatt, a Derbyshire police officer known to television viewers from Channel 5's Traffic Cops and Police Interceptors, has been dismissed following a misconduct hearing over repeated use of motorcycles without insurance and valid MOTs. Lovatt, who joined the force in 2001, was found to have committed gross misconduct at a hearing on 2 September 2026.

The case is centred on Lovatt's use of two motorbikes in 2025. The misconduct outcome states that Lovatt rode his own motorcycle 16 times between 16 September and 25 November 2025 while it was uninsured and registered as SORN.

A second motorcycle belonging to an acquaintance was used six times in September and October despite having an expired MOT and also being registered as off the road.

TV Traffic Cop Dismissed After Misconduct Finding

Lovatt became familiar to audiences through programmes that followed police officers dealing with dangerous drivers and other offences. Lovatt had appeared on Channel 5 programmes including Traffic Cops and Police Interceptors. The disciplinary finding noted that he had dealt with road traffic offences for much of his policing career, making the misconduct particularly serious in the chief constable's assessment.

The hearing identified 22 occasions on which Lovatt rode the two motorcycles in circumstances that breached road traffic requirements. Lovatt admitted the allegations concerning his use of the motorcycles but denied that he had acted dishonestly or without integrity and rejected the allegation that his conduct amounted to gross misconduct.

The chief constable found that Lovatt had breached professional standards relating to honesty and integrity and that his conduct was discreditable.

Officer Repeatedly Used Uninsured Motorbikes

The hearing found that Lovatt rode his own motorcycle 16 times between 16 September and 25 November 2025 while it was uninsured and registered as SORN. A vehicle declared SORN cannot be used or kept on a public road, subject to limited legal exceptions.

The hearing also found that Lovatt used another motorcycle belonging to someone known to him on six occasions during September and October. That bike had an expired MOT and was also recorded as SORN, taking the total number of identified journeys involving the two vehicles beyond 20.

Colleague Stopped TV Police Star

Lovatt insured his own motorcycle on November 25. The following day, he was stopped by another police officer while riding it. Lovatt was stopped by another officer on 26 November after insuring the motorcycle the previous day. He told the officer that the bike had not been on the road for a long time, but the misconduct hearing found that he had ridden it repeatedly during the preceding weeks.

Lovatt accepted that he had ridden the motorcycle but disputed allegations that he had acted dishonestly or lacked integrity. He also challenged the finding that his conduct amounted to gross misconduct. The hearing nevertheless concluded that his behaviour breached professional standards concerning honesty, integrity and conduct that could damage confidence in policing.

Chief Constable Says Conduct Was Serious

Chief Constable Simon Blatchly concluded that dismissal was the appropriate disciplinary outcome, saying no lesser sanction would adequately uphold public confidence in policing. He said the repeated nature of the offences was particularly significant because Lovatt had spent much of his career dealing with road traffic enforcement.

The chief constable also considered mitigating factors, including the breakdown of Lovatt's marriage and his positive character references, but concluded that the potential mitigation was limited.