A DRUG-DRIVER from Herefordshire has been handed a ban and a hefty fine after he was caught while over four times the limit.

Aaron James entered a guilty plea to one count of driving a motor vehicle with a proportion of a specified controlled drug above the specified limit.

The court heard from prosecutor Camila Toscano that the 33-year-old had been caught behind the wheel of a Skoda Fabia in Belmont Road, Hereford, while over the drug-drive limit on December 14 last year.

An evidential blood test revealed he had 217 microgrammes (mg) of benzoylecgonine in a litre of blood. This exceeded the legal limit for the drug, which is 50 mg.

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James, of Meadow Drive, Credenhill, was fined £403 and disqualified from driving for one year by magistrates.

He must also pay prosecution costs of £85 and a £161 victim surcharge.

His guilty plea was taken into account by magistrates when they came to their decision.