A man caught driving while high on cannabis has been banned from driving and fined over £2,000.

Christopher Bedassie, 36, of Farm Hill Road in Waltham Abbey, was caught with cannabis in his system after he was stopped by officers during an Operation Nash exercise in Epping on May 16.

He has been banned from driving for 36 months and slapped with £2,030 fines.

Bedassie, who was in a branded work van at the time, was pulled over and warned for using a mobile phone while driving.

He was also tested for drugs and the roadside and tested positive for a significant amount of cannabis.

Further tests showed that he had 3.5 micrograms of cannabis per millilitre of blood.

After initially not pleading guilty to drug driving, Bedassie changed his plea on Friday, December 20 when he appeared at Basildon Magistrates’ Court.

Investigating officer, Sergeant Martin Allen said: “To you, it might be just a joint or two, or a habit you’ve picked up over time, but drugs stay in your system and can have catastrophic consequences if you’re driving.

“If Bedassie had been involved in a collision, we could have been telling a very different story today. As it is, I’m pleased that he decided to enter a guilty plea and I hope that this punishment will serve as a warning to others – is the high worth the low?”

Essex Police says 1,796 people have been arrested on suspicion of drug driving in 2019.