Britney Spears arrested in California for alleged DUI

Pop star Britney Spears has been arrested in California, Ventura County Sheriff’s Office records show.

Spears, 44, was arrested on Wednesday night for allegedly driving under the influence, according to TMZ.

The US gossip website reported Spears was arrested at 9.30pm local time and she was detained by the Sheriff’s department at around 3am. She was released from jail at around 6am.

It comes after the singer’s Instagram account was deactivated following a string of posts which concerned her fans.

The posts included videos of Spears dancing provocatively in front of the camera in scant clothing and smudged makeup.

Last month, it was also reported that Spears has sold part of her rights to her back catalogue, which includes hits such as …Baby One More Time, Oops!… I Did It Again and Toxic.

The singer reportedly sold the rights to music publisher Primary Wave for an unknown fee.

It is unclear what type of rights the publisher has acquired, with Sony Music said to own and control the rights to her recorded catalogue.

The purchase comes after Spears’ 13-year conservatorship, set up in 2008, which had control of her career decisions and finances, ended in 2021.

Spears’ career has seen her achieve six UK number one singles and eight UK top 10 albums.

In 2024, the singer said she would “never return to the music industry” and shut down speculation that a new album was on the way in a post on Instagram.

Spears released her memoir, The Woman In Me, in 2023, which is reportedly being adapted for a film.

She has also won one Grammy for best dance recoding for her song Toxic and has been nominated for a further seven along with four Brit Awards.