A motorist whose driving caused concern to a member of the public was arrested by police in Harrogate after giving a positive drugs test.

The member of the public has been praised by North Yorkshire Police for contacting them about the way in which the vehicle was being driven.

In a  Facebook post, which included a photograph of the the roadside wipe test kit that had been used, police said:

“The driver, a man in his 20s, gave this positive reading for cocaine and white powder was located during a search of the vehicle.

“He was arrested and a blood sample has been obtained which will be sent off for analysis.”

The motorist was stopped by police after a member of the public raised concerns about the standard of his driving

“The consequences could have been much more serious – so a huge thank you to the person who called us.

“We always say if you are concerned about someone’s driving, call us and in this case, earlier this week, a motorist was stopped by one of our officers after a member of the public contacted us concerned about the standard of their driving in Harrogate.”

The government warns motorists about use of drugs and driving, saying:

“It’s illegal to drive if either:

• you’re unfit to do so because you’re on legal or illegal drugs
• you have certain levels of illegal drugs in your blood (even if they have not affected your driving)

“The police can stop you and make you do a ‘field impairment assessment’ if they think you’re on drugs. This is a series of tests, for example asking you to walk in a straight line. They can also use a roadside drug kit to screen for cannabis and cocaine.

“If they think you’re unfit to drive because of taking drugs, you’ll be arrested and will have to take a blood or urine test at a police station.

“You could be charged with a crime if the test shows you’ve taken drugs..