POLICE disturbed a Chester man as he was about to smoke heroin in his vehicle during his lunch break.

It turned out he was a former successful businessman, who sold property in Italy, but who returned to the UK and got involved in drugs again, a court heard yesterday. Defendant Jeremy Macaulay, 27, of Windy Bridge, Church Lane, Hargrave, Chester, admitted possessing heroin in a lane at Mancot on Deeside and was fined £200 with £55 costs.

Flintshire magistrates' court at Mold heard how police officers were on patrol on the afternoon of May 10 when they passed a parked-up Suzuki Vitara which was parked on the side of the road.

Police saw that the driver had a piece of foil in one hand and had a cigarette in his mouth.

Officers approached, opened the driver's door, and Macaulay appeared shocked. He allegedly told officers: "I have been smoking brown.

"I don't do it for fun. I have an addiction."

Since his arrest, Macaulay had been to see his GP and was hoping to receive treatment: "Things have fallen apart in the last three months," he told magistrates.