A VAN man has been banned from the roads after he was caught in Herefordshire while 16 times the drug-driving limit.

Shaun Mccarthy entered a guilty plea to one count of driving a motor vehicle while over the drug limit when he appeared before magistrates in Kidderminster last month.

The court heard that the 42-year-old had been caught out on the A465 in Allensmore on December 16 last year after getting behind the wheel of a Vauxhall Vivaro van while over the drug-driving limit.

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An evidential blood test revealed that he had 800 microgrammes (mg) of class A drug cocaine metabolite benzoylecgonine per litre of blood, which is 16 times the limit of 50 mg.

Mccarthy, of Woodland Avenue, Talgarth, was banned from driving for 18 months and handed a 12-month community order with 80 hours of unpaid work, with magistrates saying they took his guilty plea into account when imposing the penalty.

He was also ordered to pay prosecution costs of £85.