A DRUG-DRIVER from Herefordshire has been banned from the roads after admitting committing an offence by using cocaine before driving.

Mitchell Townsend pleaded guilty to one count of driving while over the drug limit when he appeared before magistrates in Hereford this month.

The court heard from prosecutor Camila Toscano that the 33-year-old had been caught in Moreland Avenue in Hereford after getting behind the wheel of a Subaru Impreza while over the drug-driving limit on February 4.

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A blood test revealed that he had 69 micrograms (mg) of class A drug cocaine metabolite benzoylecgonine per litre of blood. The legal limit is 50 mg.

Townsend, of Withies Close, Withington, was disqualified from driving for 12 months and fined £120.

He must also pay prosecution costs to the Crown Prosecution Service of £85 and a £48 victim surcharge, which goes towards funding to help support victims of crime.