A DRUG driver who got behind the wheel of a cement mixer after taking cocaine lost his job and has been forced to put his house on the market.

Mike Eggerichs, 45, was spotted by patrolling police officers on the A120 at Ardleigh.

Lucy Miller, prosecuting at Colchester Magistrates’ Court, said: “They saw a cement mixer lorry and their attention was attracted to it as the driver was not wearing a seatbelt.

“Officers spoke to Mr Eggerichs, who provided a zero reading on the breath test.

“But a drug wipe showed positive for cocaine, therefore he was arrested and taken to Clacton Police Station.”

A blood test showed he had 366mg of benzoylecgonine - the main metabolite of cocaine - per litre of blood, which is more than seven times the legal limit.

Eggerichs, of Dockfield Avenue, Harwich, was arrested and later admitted a drug driving charge.

He was pulled over at around 8.55am on Wednesday April 17, and appeared before magistrates on Wednesday.

Peter Young, mitigating, said the father-of-two had taken cocaine on the Saturday before his arrest.

He suggested the prescription drugs in his system may have had an impact on the blood test reading.

“What he tells me is that he admits he had some cocaine the previous Saturday, obviously it stayed in his system for some time,” he said.

“But it is not as if he has gone out and driven straight away.

“I know that is not a defence and he admits it.

“In fact,as we see in the report from the toxicologist, the cocaine in his system was less than the legal limit of 10mg in a litre of blood.

“But, of course, the carrier was over the limit.

“He can’t give any explanation, except he has been on medication.”

Mr Young went on to describe the trauma Eggerichs faced over the past year, including coping with his father’s death and mother’s cancer battle.

He said the driver had now lost his job and had no choice but to put his house on the market.

Magistrates banned Eggerichs from driving for 12 months and ordered him to pay £235 in fines and court costs.