A drug-driver has received a second 12-month ban after being caught twice in two days due to smoking cannabis at a school reunion.

Charles Jones, of The Beeches, Little Blakenham, pleaded guilty to drug-driving when he appeared before South East Suffolk Magistrates’ Court in Ipswich.

The 26-year-old, who had been a railway site safety officer, committed the offence on October 10 in Station Yard, Needham Market.

Prosecutor Lesla Small said a test showed Jones had more than twice the legal limit of Tetrahydrocannabinol - a cannabis derivative - in his blood.

Jones was stopped in his black BMW at 9.20pm.

When the police officer spoke to him he suspected Jones was under the influence of drink or drugs, and took a drug swab.

The court was told Jones was last before the court on November 28 for the same offence when he was disqualified from driving for 12 months.

That offence occurred on October 8.

Nicola Pope, representing Jones, said: “It is very rare I come across something like this where somebody is stopped twice in two days.”

At the time of the offences Jones was working on the railway as a site safety worker and was subject to daily drug testing.

Miss Pope said Jones did not ordinarily take drugs as he was reliant on those tests being negative for his job.

However, she added: “There was a weekend where he had a class reunion. He met up with lots of people he used to go to school with and cannabis was present.”

It was admitted Jones had smoked some.

The court was told Jones was adamant he had not smoked any more cannabis between October 8 and October 10.

Miss Pope said Jones was a sub contractor and had not been offered work for the past three weeks, and there was none in the pipeline.

In addition to his disqualification magistrates also fined Jones £100 and ordered him to pay £40 costs as well as £30 to the victims’ fund.