A mum's late-night "joint" has seen her banned from driving for a year.

Despite the tearful pleas from Zafrah Williams, 27, to keep hold of her licence, Colchester magistrates convicted her for drug driving.

Williams was on Bramble Road in Witham when police officers pulled her over for doing 37mph in a 30mph zone.

Philip Pearson, prosecuting, said: "Police officers noticed she had bloodshot eyes and her pupils were dilated.

"They did a preliminary roadside breath test which was negative, but came up positive for drugs so she was arrested.

"At the police station she had a blood sample taken which was later forensically analysed."

The sample revealed three microgrammes per litre of blood of Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol, a psychoactive ingredient found in cannabis, which was one measure over the legal limit.

Mr Pearson added there were still traces of cocaine in her blood but she was just under the legal limit of 10 microgrammes per litre of blood.

Williams, who has one caution for a similar matter in 2003, represented herself in court.

The mum admitted to driving above the legal limit for drugs.

She said: "Cannabis shouldn't have been in my system. I had one joint the night before because I have trouble sleeping due to personal issues.

"I wasn't aware I was under the influence that day."

The self-employed cleaner, of Sarcel, Stisted in Braintree, now stands to lose a job offered to her at a Maldon care home.

She explained how she drives her ill mum to hospital appointments and takes her child to and from school in Stansted.

But Hazel Fox, chairman of the bench, reminded her the courts treat drug driving as seriously as drink driving.

She banned Williams from driving and issued a £195 worth of costs.