A 31 YEAR old car valeter from Apperley Bridge was five times over the legal drugs drive limit on his way to work, heard Skipton Magistrates Court.

Dominic Cox was stopped by police at 10am on October 24 on the A658 in his Volkswagen Golf, the court was told.

Police noticed a smell of cannabis and carried out a road side saliva test that proved positive. He was taken to the police station where a blood sample was taken and later showed he had ten microgrammes of Delta-9- tetrahydrocannibinol (cannabis) in 100 millilitres of blood, the legal limit is two.

Cox, who admitted drugs driving, was a man of previous good character who 'self medicated' with cannabis as a way of coping with personal issues, the court heard in mitigation.

He had originally denied the charge and a date had been fixed for trial, but had changed his plea to guilty the day before it was due to take place.

With the loss of his licence, he was likely to lose his job. Magistrates banned Cox, of Laburnum Place Apperley Bridge, for 12 months and fined him £250. He will also have to pay costs of £300 and surcharge of £30.