A SHIPSTON man has been jailed for a total of 16 weeks after being caught driving at speed while under the influence of drugs and for failing to surrender to custody.

Ben Hawkins, 29, of Brickfield Lane, was sentenced on Monday August 17 at Leamington Spa Magistrates Court, after traffic police stopped him at 8.50pm near Junction 15 of the M40 on Friday April 17,

The officers from the Operations Patrol Unit carried out a roadside drugs test which proved positive for cannabis. He was arrested and provided a blood sample at Leamington Spa police station which, following analysis, showed he had taken cocaine prior to driving.

At his first appearance at court on June 25, Hawkins pleaded guilty to speeding but not guilty of driving under the influence of drugs and a trial date was set for August 17.

Hawkins failed to appear at court but was subsequently arrested in Shipston on Monday August 19 and presented before the court where a trial found him guilty.

He was handed a 12 week custodial sentence for driving under the influence of drugs and a further four weeks in prison to run consecutively after pleading guilty to failing to surrender to custody. Hawkins also received seven points on his licence, was disqualified from driving for four years and was ordered to pay court charges and a victim surcharge totalling £750.

Sergeant Geoff Bell from Warwickshire Police Operations Patrol Unit said: "The severity of this sentence, plus the steps taken to ensure the defendant appeared before the magistrates serves only to underline how seriously Warwickshire Police and West Mercia Police, as well as the courts view poor driving, which in this case was made all the more serious by the presence of drugs in the defendant's blood.

"Our officers are patrolling 24 hours a day in both marked and unmarked cars and will robustly act to ensure we protect road users from harm."

A spokesman for Shipston Police added: "This is an excellent result for the South Rural Warwickshire area and helps deal with an awful driver who we had previously taken calls about and had been actively targeting in Shipston."