A BUILDER has been banned from the roads after he was caught drug-driving in his work van.

Russell Dunn entered a guilty plea when he appeared before magistrates in Hereford.

He had been pulled over by officers in his Citroen Berlingo on the A49 Leominster bypass after they noticed he had a defective brake light at 11.10am on February 5, prosecutor Mark Hambling said.

Officers also said he had been weaving in the road, the court heard, but no charges had been made for poor driving.

Dunn was asked to take a roadside drug test and was arrested after it returned a positive result for cocaine.

An evidential blood test in custody revealed he had 380 microgrammes of cocaine metabolite benzoylecgonine in a litre of blood. The legal limit is 50.

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Chris Read, for Dunn, said the 41-year-old self-employed builder had been behind the wheel of his work vehicle when he came to the attention of police as a result of his broken light.

"He has been caught, as many, many people are, by a lack of knowledge that the drug stays in the system for a long time," Mr Read said.

"He says he used it three days before and had no idea it would remain in his system for that long.

"Unfortunately, he has been going through other issues and mental health issues and has given his business up knowing that he was going to come here and be banned. He is taking steps to apply for benefits."

Dunn, of Longborough Drive, Gloucester, was disqualified from driving for 12 months and fined £120. He must also pay costs of £135 and a £34 victim surcharge.