A CARELESS driver has been ordered to carry out community service after crashing his car in Culcheth.

Daniel Reid left the scene of the accident and later refused to do a test to judge if he was impaired behind the wheel.

The 42-year-old pleaded guilty to charges of possessing a class C drug and failing to provide a sample for analysis.

However, he denied driving without due care and attention and failing to stop after an accident.

The defendant was later convicted of the latter charges, with the case back before Warrington Magistrates’ Court recently for him to be sentenced.

Detailing the facts of the case, Michael O’Kane, on behalf of the prosecution, stated that the offences were committed over August 10 and 11 last year.

Reid was driving a Renault Clio on Warrington Road in Culcheth on August 10 without due care and attention.

As a result, he was involved in an accident by crashing into a permanent traffic light, but despite this, he failed to stop.

He was later found to be in possession of a quantity of the class C controlled drug pregabalin, used to ease anxiety.

The following day, he failed without reasonable excuse to provide a specimen of blood for a laboratory test in the course of an investigation into whether you had committed an offence.

Reid, whose address on court documents was listed as Rowland Close in Fearnhead, appeared in court without legal representation.

The defendant was sentenced by magistrates to a 12-month community order, including 250 hours of unpaid work.

He was also disqualified from driving for 30 months, with an order approved for the forfeiture and destruction of the pregabalin.

In addition, the defendant was fined £150 and ordered to pay costs to the Crown Prosecution Service of £620 and a statutory victim surcharge of £114.