AN APPRENTICE has been banned from the roads for the second time in five years after crashing in Hereford.

Jack Boyd admitted drug-driving when he appeared before magistrates in Hereford.

Police were called to reports of a crash involving a car and a cyclist on Holme Lacy Road in Rotherwas at 2.15pm on February 4, prosecutor Mark Hambling said.

They spoke to Boyd, who had been driving a black Mazda 5, and he was arrested after failing a roadside drug test for cannabis.

An evidential blood test in custody revealed he had 3.2 microgrammes of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol per litre of blood. The legal limit is two.

The court heard Boyd was previously convicted of drug-driving in 2018, which is within the 10-year time limit for relevant offences.

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Chris Read, for Boyd, said the 26-year-old had been on his way home from work when the crash happened.

"It was investigated and there is no suggestion that he was at fault," Mr Read said.

"He says that he was driving along a straight road and the cyclist pulled out in front of him. He swerved and ran himself off the road, writing his own car off as he tried to avoid them."

The court heard Boyd was taken to hospital after the crash while the cyclist was able to walk away from it.

"He has a previous conviction and thought he had learned the science behind the situation after that," Mr Read said.

"He had been exceptionally careful regarding his use of cannabis and driving and thought that due to the length of time that had elapsed he would be ok.

"He is in the last few months of a four-year apprenticeship and family and friends are rallying around to make sure he can complete that."

Boyd, of Hillary Drive, Hereford, was fined £311 and disqualified from driving for three years.

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