A MAN caught driving twice in a month after taking drugs has been banned by Skipton magistrates for 16 months.

Andrew Booth, 23, will also have to pay £365 in fines and costs after admitting drugs driving in Steeton on June 18 and in Skipton on July 6.

It is believed he was the first to be convicted for drugs-driving in Skipton following new legislation brought in on March 2.

Booth further admitted the attempted possession of cannabis – a Class B drug – on June 18.

The court heard Booth was followed and stopped by police in Burley Court, Steeton, after apparently speeding off.

Officers noticed a smell of cannabis, initial tests at the roadside were positive and he was taken to Harrogate Police Station, where a blood test revealed he had 7mg of cannabis in his blood – the legal limit is 2mg per litre.

Officers found four bags of cannabis at the same time containing a small amount of cannabis, which he said was for his own use.

He was stopped for a second time on July 6 in Keighley Road, Skipton, where he was tested again at the side of the road after officers noticed a smell of cannabis. At the police station, he was found to have 2.3mg of cannabis in his blood.

Booth, of no fixed abode, and with no previous convictions, had been using cannabis for a couple of years, the court was told.

In mitigation, Arshad Mahmood, said Booth was likely to be the first of many to be convicted under new drugs-testing legislation.

Previously, police had to prove drivers were impaired by drugs for a conviction. Now they can be tested in the same way as alcohol.

Mr Mahmood said: "Like a great number of people, he smokes cannabis recreationally. He tells me he had not smoked it that day, but it was in his system. I think he will be the first of many."

Mr Mahmood added there was nothing to suggest from the police there had been any aggravating circumstances, only that they had acted after smelling cannabis.

For the drugs-driving, Booth was banned from driving for 16 months and fined £110, with criminal courts charge of £180, prosecution costs of £85 and a surcharge of £20.

He was given a 12-month conditional discharge for attempting to possess cannabis.

l Since March, it has been illegal to drive with one of 17 controlled drugs in the blood, such as cannabis and cocaine, above a set level.

North Yorkshire Police are using mobile screening equipment to test drivers suspected of taking drugs at the roadside.