A drug driver has been banned from driving for four years after spending Christmas in custody.

40-year-old Philip Riley, from Small Street in Chirton, failed a roadside drug wipe test on the A361 near Devizes in October, 2021.

He was found to have cocaine in his system, after officers from the Road Policing Unit (RPU) saw him exiting his vehicle unsteadily, and was summoned to court.

Riley was due to appear at Salisbury Magistrates' Court on March 18, 2022 but failed to attend and was arrested in April.

His rearranged court date was Thursday, December 22, but after he failed to appear again he was rearrested on Christmas Eve and remanded in custody until his hearing on Boxing Day.

At the hearing, he was disqualified from holding or obtaining a driving licence for four years.

The RPU’s PC Luke Hobbs was pleased with the lengthy punishment.

He said: “This is an excellent ban and will ensure that Riley is off the roads for years to come.

“He failed to attend court twice and a warrant for his arrest was successfully executed on Christmas Eve. He was then remanded in custody to ensure he couldn’t skip court for a third time.

“We will stop at nothing to ensure drink and drug drivers are caught and brought to justice.”