A VAN driver has been handed a ban and a hefty fine after he was caught driving in Hereford while over the drug limit.

Craig Evans entered a guilty plea to one count of driving a vehicle with a proportion of a controlled drug over the legal limit when he appeared before magistrates last month.

The court heard from prosecuting solicitor Lauren Millichip that the 53-year-old had been caught driving a Citroen Berlingo while over the drug-drive limit on June 6.

He was driving on Belmont Road, Hereford, at the time.

An evidential blood test revealed he had 177 microgrammes (mg) of benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine, per litre of blood. This exceeded the legal limit for the drug, which is 50.

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Evans, of Waen Ebbw Road, Ebbw Vale, was fined £460 and disqualified from driving for 12 months by magistrates.

He must also pay prosecution costs of £85 and a £184 victim surcharge.

His guilty plea was taken into account by magistrates when they imposed the penalty.