A DRUMRY driver who was caught with cannabis in his system on a routine stop has been banned from driving for a year.

Stephen Nugent, of Mossgiel Drive, pleaded guilty at Dumbarton Sheriff Court on October 1 to driving with drugs in his system.

The 29-year-old first-time offender was stopped in his blue Audi around 1.40am on May 21, 2020 in Kilbowie Road. Officers could smell cannabis and a wipe test was positive for the drug.

He was taken to Clydebank police office where a drug test showed he had 3.1micrograms of THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) per litre of blood. The limit is 2mg.

Nugent’s defence solicitor said there was no suggestion his client was impaired. The sheriff also noted it was the routine stop that led to the discovery.

The solicitor, who said Nugent works as a driver for a living, said: “He is by no stretch of the imagination a regular smoker of cannabis.

“During lockdown, he became particularly anxious and was not sleeping well. He was at a friend’s house on the Tuesday night and this was on the Thursday.”

Sheriff William Gallacher fined Nugent £450, plus a £40 victim surcharge, and disqualified him until October 2022.