A MOTORIST seen by police driving with children on board while her vehicle had a flat tyre had taken cocaine two days before.

Brooke Coan, 23, drove past a police officer who was dealing with an incident on Birks Road in Cleator Moor on October 26 last year.

The officer saw that Coan’s vehicle had a flat tyre but wasn’t in a position to be able to stop her, Workington Magistrates’ Court heard.

Pamela Fee, prosecuting, said the officer then saw the vehicle come back and this time Coan had children in the rear of the car.

Coan was spoken to and the officer told her that she was putting the children in the vehicle at risk. She was asked to provide a sample of saliva and gave a positive indication for cocaine.

The defendant gave a blood sample at the police station which showed she had 154mcg of Benzoylecgonine – the body breakdown product for cocaine – per litre of blood. The specified limit is 50mcg.

Ms Fee said Coan had struck a raised part of the road which had caused the damage to the tyre. The defendant had taken cocaine two days prior to the offence.

A probation officer said there was no real concern about frequent drug use. Coan’s use of cocaine appeared to be a way of coping with the split of her and her long term partner.

She didn’t think the cocaine would have still been in her system, the court was told.

Coan, of Lingla Gardens, Frizington, pleaded guilty to driving a motor vehicle with a specified drug over the specified limit.

Mike Woolaghan, defending, said: “This is a young lady of previously good character. She is concerned about the impact of a disqualification.”

Magistrates banned Coan from driving for 20 months. She was given an 18-month community order with 15 rehabilitation activity requirement days and fined £120.

The defendant was ordered to pay £85 costs and a £114 victim surcharge.