A man whose escaped snake wreaked havoc in the community has appeared in court for cocaine-fuelled driving.

Miles Doughty, 45, of Ribble Close in Chandler’s Ford, appeared at Southampton Magistrates' Court to face two charges of driving a motor vehicle while over the limit.

Doughty was caught drug-driving a Vauxhall Corsa at Rownhams Services on the M27 on September 27.

A test found he was 16 times the limit, with 800 micrograms of Benzoylecgonine - a cocaine breakdown product - in his system.

READ MORE: Snake spotted slithering across rooftop after early hours escape

He was also found to have 21 micrograms of cocaine in his blood, which exceeded the limit of 10.

Doughty pleaded guilty to both charges in court on January 31.

He was handed a fine of £120 and banned from driving for 12 months. 

This incident happened one month after Doughty’s 18-foot python escaped from his home in Chandler’s Ford.

The Albino Burmese python shocked several Ribble Close residents on August 24 as it slithered across rooftops.

It sparked outrage online and a petition was launched to ban snakes as pets in light of the incident.

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