AN EDEN Valley farmer has been given a 36-month driving ban after he admitted his second drug driving offence.

Ewan Ivinson, 24, whose job involves driving tractors, was prosecuted after police stopped his Vauxhall Corsa as he drove in the Middlegate area of Penrith on December 29 last year, Carlisle’s Rickergate court heard.

Prosecutor George Shelley said police stopped the defendant at 11.20am and a roadside drugs swipe test produced a positive result for cocaine.

When the defendant’s blood was analysed, he was found to have 800mcg of benzoylecgonine – a cocaine breakdown product – in every litre of blood.

The legal limit for driving is 50mcg.

The defendant, from Ousby, near Penrith, had previously served a 15-month driving ban for drug driving. Defence lawyer Andrew Gurney said that after that previous offence Ivinson, who had fallen in with the wrong people, had “sorted himself out.”

But over the Christmas period, before committing his latest offence, he had gone through a difficult period and used cocaine.

“This happened was seven days later and he thought he was safe to drive,” said the lawyer.

The inevitable ban would have a significant impact on Ivinson, given that he was required for his job to drive tractors from field to field, often along public roads.

“He’s devastated about this because he loves his job,” said Mr Gurney. “He is truly remorseful. This has been an error of judgement, though he has made the same mistake before.

“I honestly don’t think he will be before the court again. He’s had this hanging over his head for a long time.”

Noting that it was the defendant's second drug driving offence but also that he had shown remorse, magistrates imposed the ban and fined Ivinson £230, with £85 costs and a £92 victim surcharge.