EastEnders star Shane Ritchie has been filmed refusing to stop vaping shortly before being arrested for drink driving at an Essex petrol station this week.
The 62-year-old had parked his white Hyundai in a Tesco petrol station in Harlow on Wednesday when staff began recording him as he refused to stop vaping.
A confrontation ensued as Ritchie, whose real name is Shane Roche, insisted he was not holding a vape, which petrol stations often ask not to be used on the premises given the proximity to fuel, which is flammable.
Brandishing the vape, he said: ‘It’s not smoking,’ and then later said: ‘This is not a vape,’ after the employee informed him he was being filmed.
The staff member told Ritchie, who plays Alfie Moon on the BBC soap, the vape ‘is a risk’, to which the actor replied: ‘I don’t give a f***.’
The petrol station manager then phoned the police, telling the call handler that Ritchie was being ‘aggressive’ and ‘smoking’ in the forecourt.
The soap star then told the man filming: ‘Someone’s coming to change my tyre.’
Essex Police were then seen arriving in the video to arrest Ritchie. He was later charged with drink-driving. The actor will appear in court next month.
A spokesman for Essex Police told us: ‘Officers were called to reports of a suspected drink driver in the area of Church Langley Way, Harlow, shortly before 11.20pm on Wednesday 29 July.
‘On arrival, officers arrested a man. A charge of drink driving has subsequently been authorised against Shane Roche, 62, of Tadworth, Surrey.
‘He is due to appear at Colchester Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, September 9.’
The footage comes after a report that those close to Ritchie think he could be let go from the soap.
A source told The Sun: ‘This has been a long time coming. Shane has been struggling to keep up with the demands of his workload and it appears it has all got a bit much. Everyone is so concerned about him.
‘Since his character Alfie took over as landlord of the Queen Vic, he has been filming all the time because he is at the centre of the show.’
The source went on to describe the filming schedule as ‘gruelling’ and stated that the BBC ‘won’t take the incident lightly’, suggesting a possible suspension.
The BBC declined to comment.
