A Brighton teenager is one of the first people in Britain to be convicted under new drug-driving laws as it emerged there could be an epidemic of substance use behind the wheel.

Neil Scott O’Connor was arrested after police officers stopped his car in Nuthurst Place, Brighton, and they could smell cannabis inside the car.

The 19-year-old, of Coombe Vale, Saltdean, was found with nine grams of the drug on March 7 at around 12.50am.

He then tested positive for cannabis by officers using new police equipment called DrugWipe - introduced just six days before.

The screening technique – nicknamed the drugalyser – was launched on March 2, allowing officers to test drivers for cannabis and cocaine at the roadside using saliva samples, in a similar method to breathalysing for alcohol.

Sussex Police have so far made 61 arrests using the new process.

O’Connor is the first person in Sussex to be convicted under the new laws and one of a handful so far across the country.

He joins Liverpool van driver Timothy Chan who was also convicted for being behind the wheel while under the influence of cannabis.

A blood test confirmed he had 2.1 microgrammes of Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol per litre of his blood – above the new driving limit of two microgrammes per litre of the compound.

Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol is the main ingredient in cannabis which alters how the brain functions.

O’Connor pleaded guilty to driving while having a controlled drug in his system and possession of cannabis when he appeared at Hastings Magistrates’ Court.

He was banned from driving for 12 months, fined £110 and ordered to pay £50 costs and a £20 victim surcharge. He was also made the subject of a 12-month conditional discharge.

The news comes as figures suggested the test revealed a hidden epidemic of drug-driving across Britain, with some police forces recording positive results for as many as 56% of suspects who are pulled over.

Inspector Stewart Goodwin, of Surrey and Sussex roads policing unit, said: “Although this is the first conviction of its kind in Sussex, unfortunately it will not be the last.

“Drug-driving continues to be a problem across the country and we are determined that those who endanger people by taking drugs and getting behind the wheel are removed from the roads in the same way that drink-drivers are.

"The changes in the law mean we can now more quickly and easily prove a motorist is not fit to drive.

"Driving after taking drugs puts not just you but your passengers and everyone else in danger. We will not tolerate it.”