A TEENAGER who drove a car in Irvine whilst unfit to do so has been warned by a sheriff to “educate” herself on the dangers of drugs.

Chloe Hart appeared at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court last week and pled guilty to four charges. Her plea of not guilty to a fifth charge was accepted.

Hart, a student from Kilmarnock, admitted to driving a car while unfit to do so through drink or drugs, using a car without insurance, driving without the accompaniment of a qualified driver and without L-plates while only holding a provisional licence, and to being in possession of cannabis.

At around 3pm on May 22, a witness was parked in Harbour Street when he saw Hart in the driver’s seat of a Citroen C4.

He observed her stagger out of the vehicle and make her way towards the beach park.

He believed her to be under the influence of something and contacted the police.

When officers arrived, they noted that Hart had yellow lips, red eyes and slurred speech, but they could not smell alcohol.

A search then recovered a herbal material from her car. The substance was found to be 0.1grams of herbal cannabis.

Hart’s solicitor Brian Holiman said: “She’s 19 and currently a student at Kilmarnock College studying Early Education and Childcare. She appears before the court as a first offender, no other matters outstanding. She made a series of bad choices.

“She fully accepts she should not have been driving in any end.”

Sheriff Elizabeth McFarlane told Hart: “Maybe you should start educating yourself about the dangers of drug abuse because now you have a criminal record that will impact everything you do. I hope it was worth it.”

Sheriff McFarlane fined Hart £500 for driving while unfit to do so and without insurance and disqualified her from driving for one year.

She admonished and dismissed her on the other two charges.