A CHESHIRE Police officer has been disciplined by the force over an incident involving former rugby league player George Kay hours before his death.

Mr Kay, from Warrington, was found dead at the age of 39 in the Holiday Inn in Runcorn on July 6 2019 after a reported drugs overdose.

Police had been called to the hotel shortly before 10pm the previous evening after he was allegedly ‘acting erratically’.

Officers attended the scene but are believed to have left after Mr Kay – who rose to fame as a result of his marriage to Padgate popstar Kerry Katona – agreed to return to his room.

Emergency services were called back to the hotel at around 10am the following day over reports of concerns for a man’s safety, but Mr Kay later died in Warrington Hospital.

A Cheshire Police disciplinary hearing has now found that an unnamed PC ‘failed to take positive action’ during the first of the two incidents.

It heard that the ‘guest’ was not searched and a quantity of drugs in his bathroom was not seized, with the officer was handed a written warning as a result.

A notice posted on the force’s website said: “A police officer failed to take positive action when dealing with a guest at The Holiday Inn in Runcorn on July 5 2019.

“The officer failed to search the guest despite there being reasonable grounds to do so.

“The officer failed to seize a small quantity of a substance believed to be a controlled drug in the bathroom of the hotel room.

“The officer switched off their body worn video prior to entering the bathroom where the substance believed to be a controlled drug was found.

“The actions of the officer were not captured.”

Mr Kay was married to the former Atomic Kitten star between 2014 and 2017, having met while pupils at Padgate High School.