A VAN driver 'panicked' and ran off after being approached by a police officer in the petrol station of Skipton Tesco, heard magistrates.

Kyle Rushworth, 24, claimed he had run because he was not insured to drive, but a drugs test revealed he had both cocaine and benzoylecgonine - a by product of cocaine -

in his blood.

He claimed he had taken cocaine after running off from the officer at a pre arranged meeting with a drug dealer in Skipton, was then off to a party, and denied drugs driving.

But magistrates found him guilty of two counts of driving with excess amounts of a controlled drug in his system and banned him for 12 months for each - to run at the same time.

The court heard traffic officer Andrew Ingram had followed Rushworth along Keighley Road on March 24 after receiving reports of a white Ford Transit van being driven erratically from the direction of Sutton.

He followed Rushworth to the petrol station car park and went up to him, describing him as unable to concentrate and with dilated pupils.

Rushworth ran off up Craven Street, chased by the officer who after a while, lost sight of him. But with the help of colleagues, TC Ingram came across Rushworth again, and chased him into an enclosed garden.

TC Ingram told the court Rushworth had initially been difficult and that only after he had got out his Tazer and 'red spotted' him did he cooperate.

He was breathalysed, and found to be just under the drink drive limit, but after finding a number of used 'dealers' bags' in the vehicle, TC Ingram carried out a drugs test.

A blood test then revealed he had 55 microgrammes of cocaine per litre of blood, the legal limit is ten, and 485 microgrammes of benzoylecgonine, the legal limit is 50.

Rushworth, of Windsor Crescent, Keighley, a self employed builder, was also fined £250 and ordered to pay costs of £200 and surcharge of £25. For driving without insurance, for which he had already admitted, there was no separate penalty, but his licence was endorsed.