A drug-driver caught out near Ullswater was in a car with a fogged-up windscreen and a soft tyre, a court heard.
Lakes visitor William David Berry’s offending came to light after a police constable on duty in a marked patrol vehicle saw a Vauxhall Corsa being driven on the A5091 near Dockray on 4th April.
“The driver was swerving over white lines into another lane and appeared to have a flat rear tyre,” prosecutor Pam Ward told Carlisle Magistrates’ Court of the officer’s account. “The front windscreen was fogged.”
Berry, 21, was identified of the driver and proved fully co-operative. “Owing to a strong smell of cannabis, the officer asked him to provide a sample for a roadside drugs wipe test,” said Mrs Ward.
This proved positive and when a further sample was analysed it showed Berry was over the legal limit for the main psychoactive ingredient of the class B substance.
He admitted a drug-driving charge in court. Defence lawyer John Smith insisted Berry had not been swerving, but instead “straight-lining” on what was a narrow road. The rear tyre was soft but not flat, said Mr Smith, who conceded the windscreen was misted up.
Addressing magistrates, Mr Smith added: “I don’t want you to find there was any evidence of bad driving in this case.”
Berry, of Belmont Grove, Burnley, was employed in mechanical work but had lost his job as a result of the criminal charge. At the time of the offence he had a passenger in the vehicle and was heading to Patterdale.
Magistrates fined Berry £120 and banned him from driving for 17 months.
