A 24-year-old man has been fined £500 for being in charge of a vehicle while under the influence of cannabis.

Jordan Keig also had his licence endorsed by magistrates with 10 penalty points after admitting the offence.

Prosecuting advocate Chrissie Hunt told the court that police were on patrol on March 6 when they came across Keig sitting in a Volkswagen Golf, with the engine running, at Battery Pier in Douglas.

There was a smell of cannabis coming from the vehicle.

A drug wipe test proved positive for the class B drug and Keig was subsequently arrested.

At police headquarters, a blood sample was taken which later produced a result of 3.3.

The legal limit for cannabis is two.

In a police interview, Keig admitted smoking the drug before driving to the pier.

Defence advocate James Peterson asked for credit to be given for his client’s guilty plea, entered at the first opportunity, and his co-operation with the police.

‘Mr Keig fully accepts it was a silly thing to do,’ said the advocate.

‘He had just broken up with his girlfriend and gone out to get his head around things.’

Mr Peterson handed in a letter of reference for his client and said that he had no previous convictions so he was losing his good character.

The advocate asked magistrates to spare Keig from a driving ban as he said he sometimes drove as part of his work.

Magistrates also ordered Keig, who lives at Reginald Mews, to pay £125 prosecution costs.