A DRIVER crashed his van into a street lamp, a telegraph pole and then demolished a garden wall.

Blackburn magistrates heard Kieran John Seery gave a negative breath sample when police arrived at the incident in Branch Road, Blackburn, at around 7am on November 17.

But he failed a drug swipe and later tested positive for cocaine.

Seery, 29, of Hodder Street, Accrington, pleaded guilty to driving while over the limit for cocaine.

He was banned from driving for 12 months, fined £200, with £85 costs.

Catherine Allan, prosecuting, said Seery had to exit his badly damaged Ford Transit by the passenger door following the crash.

She said one of the charges related to cocaine and the other to benzoylecgonine which is produced by the liver when cocaine is broken down.

Seery, who was not represented, said he totally accepted he was in the wrong.

He said he had lost his job as an engineer after the incident. Residents had spoken of their shock at time of the incident.

Jean Norman, who had been on her way to a morning gym class, said at the time she was redirected by police.

She said: “I live just down the road and come along here most mornings. I was shocked to see the mess which had been caused by the accident.

“When I was coming back home the emergency services had left but there were people with machinery working to clear the mess away. I hope the man is OK and that the people inside the home aren’t too shaken, it must have been a real shock for them.”

Police and firefighters attended the incident.

Another resident said: “A lot of people have been wondering what was going on and what happened – it's not what you expect to see first thing on a Saturday morning.”