A 22-year-old man has been banned from the roads after he was caught texting at the wheel while high on drugs.

Billy Pool was spotted using his mobile while driving his Volkswagen Polo in London Road, East Grinstead, by a roads policing officer who followed him into nearby Charlwood Road and then arrested him, at 9.45pm on June 17.

When officers stopped Pool he handed over a jar of herbal cannabis and admitted he had smoked the drug.

This was confirmed when officers used a drug-testing machine that indicated he had cannabis in his system.

Pool, of West Street, East Grinstead, pleaded guilty to driving while unfit through drugs and driving while using a mobile phone.

He was banned from the roads for 12 months and was fined £300 and ordered to pay £85 costs and a £30 victim surcharge.

He also received a caution for possession of cannabis.

Chief Inspector Natalie Moloney said: "Using the roads while on your mobile phone is bad enough but combining it with drugs use demonstrates a complete lack of consideration for others.

"Pool's reckless behaviour put himself, other road-users and pedestrians in danger.

"His reflexes would have been seriously affected by the drugs in his system so when you combine this with the fact he was texting at the same time it is just lucky someone wasn't seriously hurt or even killed."

A total of 59 people have now been convicted of offences after being arrested in June as part of Operation Dragonfly, Sussex Police's crackdown on drink and drug driving.

People in Sussex can text officers on 65999 with the details of people they suspect of drink or drug driving or visit www.operationcrackdown.co.uk.

If you know someone is driving while over the limit or after taking drugs call 999.