A routine patrol on one of Cumbria's busiest roads led to a series of arrests and traffic offences, including drug driving.

Eden Police officers encountered a vehicle parked in a layby on the eastbound carriageway of the A66 with a strong smell of cannabis emanating from the car.

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After stopping and searching the occupants, the driver was arrested for being in charge of the vehicle while exceeding the legal cannabis limit.

However, the situation took an unexpected turn when the driver’s passenger - who had kindly offered to collect him from custody - was himself arrested by the road policing unit.

He too was found to be driving under the influence of cannabis, exceeding the specified limit, and was taken into custody.

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Meanwhile, a third individual was caught violating road traffic rules by crossing solid white lines on the A685 while overtaking a marked police car.

For this, PC Watson issued a road traffic report, and the driver now faces three penalty points and a £100 fine, adding to the nine points already accumulated on his licence, police said.