Singer Pete Doherty has been warned he may be sentenced to a prison term after pleading guilty to drug charges today.

Doherty, 28, was more than two hours late arriving at West London Magistrates Court to face charges of possessing Class A and Class C drugs, causing District Judge Davinder Lachhar to issue an arrest warrant.

When he did arrive, the Babyshambles singer, wearing his trademark trilby hat and a dark suit, pleaded guilty to possessing crack cocaine, heroin, cannabis and ketamine.

He also pleaded guilty to two driving offences before facing the new charge of failing to appear in court without reasonable excuse – the result of arriving at midday today instead of 9.30am.

Doherty was arrested on May 5 this year after his car was stopped by officers in Kensington High Street, London.

The court heard he had herbal cannabis in a coat pocket and a rock of crack cocaine in his trouser pocket.

More drugs, including ketamine and heroin, were revealed when he was strip searched at a police station.

Mr Curran argued that the charges related to "small amounts" of illegal drugs and that the singer had been working extremely hard on his new album at the time of his arrest.

He told the court Doherty had also had "a difficulty in his personal life which led to him being caught in this situation where he was driving the vehicle".

Mr Curran said it was clear from Doherty's history and the fact he is already under a community order that he has for some time been addicted to drugs and specifically to crack and heroin.

He added that doctors felt he had made progress and improved since February last year, but the judge questioned to what extent things had changed.

She said: "It seems that there has not been much difference in his use of drugs."

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