A man was given ten points on his licence and ordered to pay £255 after being caught driving under the influence of drugs.

Benjamin Neill, 20, was arrested after he was found behind the wheel of a car on an industrial estate in Chelmsford Road, Great Dunmow, just after 9pm on September 27.

He was not driving at the time but keys were in the ignition of the vehicle.

Officers suspected he was under the influence of cannabis and took a swab of his saliva using a roadside drug testing kit.

The kits, which are approved by the Home Office, detect the presence of cocaine and cannabis above a set limit.

Neill, of Chelmsford Road, Dunmow was taken to custody where blood tests confirmed drug levels were over the prescribed limit.

He appeared at Colchester Magistrates’ Court on November 13 charged with being in charge of a vehicle while over the prescribed drugs limit.

He was fined £170, ordered to pay £85 costs and received 10 points on his driving licence.

Sgt Colin Shead, of Chelmsford Roads Policing Unit, said: “I am pleased with the sentence imposed.

“The new legislation which came into force a few months ago is proving extremely useful and people need to be aware that if you take drugs and drive we will catch up with you.”