A SKIPTON man who works as a farmhand has been disqualified from the road after admitting driving his car while under the influence of a controlled drug.

Daniel Brayshaw, 21, of Cowper Street, was stopped at the junction of the A65 and A6069 on March 26 this year.

Skipton magistrates were told Brayshaw’s Ford Fiesta was stopped routinely by police who were looking for quad bike thieves and not because of his driving.

They smelled cannabis and he admitted smoking some after work.

A roadside drug wipe proved positive and he was arrested. A blood sample provided by the defendant showed there was 7.0ug of cannabis in his blood. The specified limit is 2.0ug.

Representing himself, Brayshaw, who works at two farms in Bolton Abbey, said a ban would cause problems and make it very hard for him to get to work. Magistrates banned him from driving for 12 months.

They also ordered he pay a fine of £161, a surcharge of £32 and court costs of £85.