A DELIVERY driver who drove to a residential street in West Huntspill and began sounding the horn in the early hours of the morning was found to be more than eight times the legal limit for a cocaine related substance.

When police arrived at the scene they suspected James Stephen Turberville had been drinking, but after giving a negative breath test result he was found to be over the limit for drugs.

The defendant was arrested by police and when he appeared in the dock before Somerset Magistrates at Yeovil he was given a 16 month driving ban.

Turberville, 31, of Bath Road, Bridgwater, pleaded guilty to driving a Renault Clio on Old Pawlett Road, West Huntspill, on February 4 when the proportion of a controlled drug, namely Benzoylecognine, exceeded the specified limit.

He admitted a second identical offence involving exceeding the limit for cocaine (class A).

Prosecutor Emma Lenanton said that the police were called to Old Pawlett Road shortly after 5am after reports of the defendant being in a vehicle and sounding the horn.

“When officers arrived they found Turberville who admitted driving his vehicle to that location and they suspected he had been drinking,” she said.

“However he passed a breath test but analysis of his blood revealed he was over the drug drive limit for cocaine.”

Following tests he was found to have had a reading of 24mcg of cocaine in a litre of blood when the limit is 10.

He was also positive for the cocaine metabolite Benzoylecognine where the reading was 404mcg per litre of blood when the limit is 50.

Defending solicitor Greg Peters said the defendant cooperated fully with the police and when officers arrived at the scene they found Turberville sat in the driver’s seat with the keys in the ignition but the engine was not running.

“These two drugs were one of the same substance rather than the defendant being involved in poly drug use,” he said.

“He has been driving since the age of 17 and works via an agency for Hermes as a delivery driver and is aware he will be disqualified today and will therefore lose his employment.

“He has three children and the loss of his licence will have a severe impact upon him.”

He added that Turberville was not driving an LGV at the time of the offence and was not carrying any passengers.

Alongside the disqualification the magistrates fined the defendant £300 for the cocaine offence and ordered him to pay £85 costs and a £30 victim surcharge.