A MOTORIST who repeatedly drug drove despite being arrested twice has been banned from the roads for three years.

Ryan Luke Armitage, 26, had cocaine and cannabis on him when police stopped him for the third time on June 10, said Martin Butterworth, prosecuting. A blood test revealed he had traces of cannabis in his system.

He was on bail at the time for driving on May 27 after taking MDMA and cocaine, offences committed when he was on bail for drug driving on May 4, again with cocaine traces in his system.

He told police he was a recreational drug user.

At his latest court appearance, York magistrates banned him from driving for three years and made him do a 12-month community order including ten days’ rehabilitative activities to tackle his drug problem and 100 hours’ unpaid work. He must also pay £85 costs and an £85 statutory surcharge.

Armitage, of Maple Close, South Milford, pleaded guilty to drug driving, possession of cannabis and possession of cocaine, all committed on June 10. He was sentenced for the earlier offences on June 30.

For him, Patricia Walker said: “Quite clearly he does have an issue with drugs.”

Armitage lives with his parents and works as a scaffolder, she said.

Mr Butterworth said police stopped Armitage on the Great North Road at South Milford on June 10. They smelt cannabis and searching the car, they found a wrap of cannabis. When they asked Armitage if he had any other drugs, he took a wrap of cocaine out of his underpants.

On May 27, Armitage was stopped on Main Street, South Milford, and failed tests for two separate drugs in his system. Twenty-three days earlier, police had caught him on Maple Close, South Milford. On that occasion, he was driving after taking cocaine.