A DRUGS driver wrongly though he was fine to drive two days after taking cocaine at a party, heard Skipton Magistrates Court.

William Watson, 20, driving a Ford Fiesta, was stopped by police after he overtook two other cars on a pedestrian crossing in Newmarket Street, Skipton at around 8.30pm on October 13, the court heard on Friday.

He was stopped and spoken to, and a roadside drugs test proved positive for both cocaine and cannabis, the court heard.

Watson was taken to the police station where he provided a blood sample which later showed he had 80 microgrammes of the cocaine by-product Benzoylecgonine in one litre of blood, the specified limit is 50.

Watson, of previous good character, admitted drugs driving. The court was told in mitigation that he had been at a party on the Friday night, had been offered cocaine, had initially refused it, but in the end had given in to ‘peer pressure’ and used the drug for the first time.

Believing it was the same as alcohol, he had not driven on the following day, but thought he would be fine after two days. Watson, a stone labourer, of Skipton Road to Wenningber, Hellifield, was well thought of by his employers, the court was told.

Magistrates told him some drugs stayed in the system for two to three days, despite what people thought.He was banned from driving for 12 months, fined £334 with costs of £85 and a surcharge of £33.