A 37-year-old Lydney man who drove with an illegal level of cannabis in his bloodstream has been banned from the roads for more than three years.

Shaun Ellis, of Hopes Close, Lydney, has also been ordered to pay more than £800 in fines, costs and surcharges.

Ellis, who failed to attend Cheltenham Magistrates’ Court for his scheduled hearing, leading to a warrant being issued for his arrest, pleaded guilty to driving a black Vauxhall Astra on Newerne Street, Lydney, on 15th March this year with excess Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol in his blood.

He was banned from driving for 38 months, fined £537 and ordered to pay £85 costs and a £215 surcharge.