A Wiltshire teenager has been disqualified from driving after being caught behind the wheel under the influence of drugs.

Samuel Wood, 18, of Yewstock Crescent West, Chippenham, pleaded guilty to driving a motor vehicle otherwise than in accordance with a licence, possession of a controlled class B drug and driving after taking drugs at Swindon Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, August 21.

The court heard how Wood was driving a blue Ford Fiesta on Bath Road around 11:45pm on April 7 and officers were first alerted to the vehicle after watching him drive through Corsham exceeding the 30 miles-per-hour speed limit.

They pulled the car over and saw a passenger in the vehicle with Wood, noticing a smell of cannabis, which Wood admitted to smoking that night, and officers could see his pupils were large and bloodshot.

He was found to have not less than 3.4ug of Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol, in his blood - the legal limit is 2.

The court he was smoking at a viewpoint earlier that evening and had driven around three miles.

In mitigation his defence said Wood was previously on medication for anxiety and is now in a “better place”, but at the time of the offence he was very stressed about school and A-Levels, so he smoked cannabis recreationally to cope with those issues.

Wood has since completed his A-Levels.

His barrister presented character references to suggest the incident was nothing more than a “one-off” event during a challenging time in Wood’s life.

One reference, from a former Metropolitan Police officer who was believed to be the passenger’s dad, said it was very out of character for Wood and he is a “fine young man”, but he realised that “boys will be boys”.

Wood was completely clear of drugs and alcohol during a test in June and previously had no driving convictions, but his licence indicated he needed to wear glasses or contact lenses while driving and he had neither of those when he was arrested.

The magistrate told him: “You’ve been treated thoughtfully by the court and we hope you move on from that. We never want to see you again.”

He was disqualified from driving for 12 months and the judge warned that due to his age he may need to retake his driving test to get his licence back.

Additionally, he was fined £83 for possession of cannabis along with a £33 surcharge and £85 prosecution fees.