A Penrith joiner caught driving with 16 times the legal limit of an illegal drug in his system has been given a 23-month ban.

Craig Stephen Sinkinson, 28, was caught after police stopped him as he drove his Ford Fiesta along Scotland Road in Penrith on April 21, magistrates sitting in Carlisle heard.

They suspected he was under the influence of some substance and subjected him to a roadside drug test. It proved positive for cannabis and cocaine.

Prosecutor Pam Ward said Sinkinson cooperated with the police and freely admitted that he had smoked cannabis just 20 minutes before he was pulled over.

A later analysis showed he had 800mcg of Benzolecgonine in every litre of his blood - the substance is a metabolised version of the drug cocaine. The legal limit for driving is 50mcg.

Also found was 4.6mcg of THC in every litre of blood. THC is the active substance in cannabis.

The legal limit for driving is 2mcg. In court, Sinkinson admitted both drug driving offences. He told magistrates that he felt okay on the night but that he was now tea total.

The defendant, of Norfolk Place, Penrith, told magistrates: "I'm paying for it now. I was just going self-employed as a joiner and a builder. It's ruined my career." He added that he had learned his lesson and no longer used either cannabis or cocaine.