A COCAINE snorting greenkeeper crashed his car, sending it 6ft off the ground and will now have to cycle to work for three years.

Robson Dale had already been caught drink driving but had not learned his lesson when he crashed his car after taking cocaine. The 25-year-old of Bransford Road, Worcester, admitted drug driving when he appeared before city magistrates on Thursday after crashing his Vauxhall Corsa on the A449 near Ombersley. The crash happened between Sytchampton and the Mitre Oak at 11.10pm on July 14 last year as the defendant drove home from work. Kerry Lovegrove, prosecuting, described the car clipping a kerb and ending up 'some 6ft off the ground'.

A roadside drugs test showed 137µg/L of benzoylecgonine (BZE) in his blood, more than two and a half times the limit of 50µg/L. BZE is a metabolite of cocaine. "He was interviewed but answered no comment to all questions" said Miss Lovegrove.

She added: "He does have one relevant previous conviction - that is drink driving in 2018 which is within the three year period. It's a minimum three year disqualification your worships."

Richard Hull, defending, said the collision was plainly an aggravating feature and accepted that his previous conviction meant a minimum three year disqualification which 'will be a significant punishment in its own right'.

"He has a social circle who do take cocaine recreationally. He had taken some cocaine and he went to work next day. He works as a greenkeeper.

"He's at a loss to explain the crash. Fortunately no-one else was involved" said Mr Hull.

He explained that Dale lived with his parents but was buying a house with his girlfriend and had had the mortgage approved. "Fortunately for him, he lives three or four miles away from the golf course. He's going to have to cycle to work for the next three years. Everything is going well for him except for the fact he uses some cocaine."

The chairman of the bench said: "We're adding four months to the disqualification because that could have been somebody else's life."

The total ban is three years and four months. Magistrates also fined him £347, ordered him to pay a victim surcharge of £34 and prosecution costs of £135. The magistrate said: "You will be very fit by the time you cycle to work for that length of time."