A DRUG driver from Silsden has been banned from driving for a year and ordered to pay £292 in fines and costs.

Benjamin Fothergill,37, was parked near a farm track off Ellers Road, Sutton-in-Craven, just after midnight on March 13 when he was seen by police officers, heard Skipton Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

He pulled off onto Hall Street where officers followed and stopped him.

Fothergill, whose car contained evidence of drug use, was tested for drugs and proved positive for cannabis.

He was taken to the police station where a blood test later revealed he had 200 microgrammes of cocaine byproduct benzoylecgonine in one litre of blood, the specified limit is 50.

Fothergill, who originally denied drug driving, but changed his plea on the day of his trial, had not been using cannabis, but had taken cocaine some days previously and it had remained in his system, the court was told.

In mitigation, John Kelly said the limit for cocaine was appropriately set extremely low and that despite there being drug paraphernalia in his car he had not recently taken any drugs.

He said Fothergill accepted he had cocaine in his system, but that he had taken it some days earlier.

Fothergill, of Jerry Lane, Silsden, was banned from driving for 12 months, fined £162 and ordered to pay a surcharge of £30 and costs of £100.