The 36-year-old from Leicestershire was given more than the standard two-year ban due to "aggravating circumstances" after he tested positive for both testosterone and a metabolite of the prohibited steroid clostebol just before the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games.

Edwards, the third best British shot putter of all-time, had retired from the sport in 2008 having been controversially omitted from the British team for the Sydney Olympics in 2000 and then suffering the same fate before Beijing despite throwing a personal best of 20.88 metres, which met the A standard.

He was also coach for the UK Athletics team at the Beijing 2008 Paralympics and had argued that he should not have been tested by UK Anti-Doping as he had pulled out of the 2010 Commonwealth Games team on medical grounds the day before he was tested and had said he intended to retire.

However, the tribunal of the National Anti-Doping Panel said the presence of more than one banned substance constituted aggravating circumstances.

"The athlete is a senior athlete and a role model in the throwing community," said the tribunal.

"He runs a sports therapy business and has a history of working with disabled athletes."

Edwards told the tribunal he had no idea how the substances came to be in his urine sample, and made claims about both the testing procedure and that the sample may have been tampered with en route to the laboratory.

The tribunal rejected his claims saying: "We did not find the athlete to be a credible witness."

The case is the first time that UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) has successfully argued for an increase to the standard two-year sanction due to aggravated circumstances.

UKAD chief executive Andy Parkinson said: "The three-year suspension should send a strong message to anyone looking to dope in the UK and I hope gives clean athletes the confidence that we will aggressively pursue those who we think are cheating.

"We will continue to work tirelessly to protect the rights of clean athletes in the run-up to London 2012 and beyond."

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