(Cover) - EN Showbiz - George Michael has been charged with possession of cannabis and being unfit to drive due to drink or drugs.

The charges relate to his arrest on July 4 in the Hampstead area of London, following a car crash. At the time, he was arrested on suspicion of being unfit to drive.

George was charged at a police station in Camden, London, this morning and then freed on bail. He will appear in front of magistrates in Highbury on August 24.

At 3.35am on July 4 the 47-year-old lost control of his Range Rover and smashed it into a photo shop near his home. The crash buckled a door frame and shattered windows of the Snappy Snaps shop in the upmarket suburb.

CCTV footage showed a shocked George climbing out of the vehicle to wait for police.

George was not breathalysed, but was held on suspicion of being unfit to drive. He then underwent drugs tests at a police station.

The former WHAM! star was banned from driving for 24 months after he was found slumped at the wheel of his car in Cricklewood, North West London, in May 2007. He admitted he was under the influence of illicit substances.

Shortly after the ban was lifted, George was again held on suspicion of being unfit to drive after he collided with a truck late at night on a motorway in Berkshire, England. He was eventually released without charge. (C) Cover Media