Driving after taking drugs can be a serious offence – and three men in Cornwall have found themselves in court this month for just this.

Among them was Gareth Davyd Wills from Mylor Downs, who pleaded guilty to a drug-related offence when he appeared before magistrates last Friday.

The 41-year-old admitted driving a Ford Focus on the A39 Ponsharden Roundabout, Penryn on January 29 last year, when he had 544 micrograms of Benzoylecgonine per litre of blood.

He had already admitted to also having 1g of cocaine on him in Falmouth on January 29 last year.

Wills ended up having to pay £592, which included a £461 fine. He was also ordered to pay £85 costs to the Crown Prosecution Service and a £46 surcharge to fund victim services.

He was banned from driving for 12 months, with magistrates ordering that the cocaine be forfeited and destroyed.

Also sentenced has been Mark Robert Hatch, from Mounts Bay Terrace in Porthleven.

The 33-year-old pleaded guilty to driving a Vauxhall Astra on Tolvaddon Road, Camborne on July 17 last year, with 7.0 microgrammes of Delta-9-Tetrehydrocannabinol per litre of blood.

He was fined £400 and was also ordered to pay £85 prosecution costs and a £40 surcharge.

Hatch was disqualified from driving for 12 months.

And 27-year-old Samuel Francis Rowe also pleaded guilty, this time to driving a Vauxhall Corsa on the A390 in St Austell while unfit to drive through drugs.

The offence took place on April 28 last year, along with three further offences that he also pleaded guilty to. These were driving whilst disqualified, driving without insurance, and possession of cannabis.

Rowe, who gave a care of address in Lamorna Close, Connor Downs, was remanded on unconditional bail until February 8, at the request of the probation service, to allow for a mental health treatment requirement assessment before sentencing.