A man from Abergavenny has been sentenced to a community order and banned from driving for three years after admitting to driving while under the influence of drugs on a major A road.

Calum Vaughan, of Firs Road in Mardy, entered a guilty plea for the offence when he appeared at Newport Magistrates Court on Monday. After being stopped in his Volkswagen Golf in January this year, Vaughan was found to have an excessive amount of Benzoylecgonine in his blood.

Benzoylecgonine is the primary, inactive metabolite formed in the body when the liver breaks down cocaine.

Taking the guilty plea into account, Mr Vaughan was ordered to pay a fine of £120 and obey a community order for twelve months, meaning he must comply with the instructions of any responsible officer and participate in any activity they see fit for a maximum of ten days.

He will also pay a surcharge of £114 and £85 in costs, taking the amount he owes to over £300.