A man has been arrested after road police officers smelled cannabis in the air while carrying out speed checks on the M20.

The officers were travelling in a marked patrol car on the London-bound carriageway near Ryarsh, when they detected a Vauxhall Corsa travelling at 85mph.

As they followed the vehicle, at about 5.50am on Monday, one of the officers reported smelling cannabis in the air.

The car was pulled over and the driver – a 23-year-old man from Sandwich– was arrested on suspicion of drug-driving.

A subsequent search of his home address uncovered a quantity of a substance suspected to be cannabis, which he was further arrested on suspicion of intending to supply.

He has been bailed until Saturday, June 6 pending the results of a roadside drug test.

New legislation introduced earlier this month means there are now set limits for a number of illegal and prescription drugs, making it easier to prove if somebody has been under the influence while driving.

The limits for all illegal drugs are extremely low, so taking even a very small amount of an illegal drug could put you over the limit.

Kent Police is enforcing the new legislation using roadside impairment tests, which consist of physical assessments to determine if a driver is fit to be behind the wheel, and also by utilising new drug-testing equipment when required.

Chief Inspector Matthew Kendallof Kent Police’s roads policing team said: "This arrest goes to show that Kent Police is making effective use of the new legislation to target drug drivers on Kent’s roads.

"Drug-driving is selfish, unnecessary and dangerous to other road-users, and those who decide to take the risk should be aware there is no safe limit.

"Anyone who gets behind the wheel while under the influence can expect to be stopped and brought before the courts."