A MAN found driving a stolen HGV on the M6 near Knutsford was over the drug drive limit at the time, a court has heard.

James Anthony Mallon, of Scoter Road in Kirby, was stopped by police on the southbound carriageway of the busy motorway on October 24 last year.

The 41-year-old admitted driving the stolen HGV, which belonged to agricultural giant Wynnstay, when he appeared at Stockport Magistrates Court back on May 10.

Mallon returned to the dock on Wednesday, June 30, where he was sentenced for a total of six charges, including not holding a licence allowing him to drive a vehicle of that particular class.

As well as admitting to being behind the wheel of the stolen vehicle, Mallon also pleaded guilty to being over the drug drive for both benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine and delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, the principal psychoactive constituent of cannabis.

In a sample given to police, he was found to have 217 microgrammes of benzoylecgonine per litre of blood with the legal limit being 50 microgrammes per litre - meaning he was more than four times over it.

The sixth charge related to Mallon driving without insurance and when imposing their sentence, magistrates decided to make him subject of a six month long community order, which includes a night time curfew.

Mallon will be electronically tagged and have to reside at his home address between the hours of 7pm and 7am every day for a total of 26 weeks.

There was also a rehabilitative aspect of Mallon's punishment, meaning he will need to complete up to a maximum of 24 days activity with the probation service.

The bench also disqualified him from driving for a period of two years.

Mallon must also pay a fine of £120, a victim surcharge of £95 and £85 in costs to the Crown Prosecution Service.