Parents stored cannabis in child's bedroom as children as young as 12 found buying and smoking drug in Selby, North Yorkshire

Officers from North Yorkshire Police recently executed a warrant at a property in Selby where they uncovered the drugs in the bedroom of two young children aged under five years old.

Police revealed their find as they tackled criticisms from residents about the work being done to clamp down on cannabis supply.

Inspector Martin Wedgewood, of the Selby Neighbourhood Police team said: "It is worth remembering that possessing cannabis, as well supplying it and cultivating it, is an offence and thus the police have a duty to act when people do so.

"What I find very important though is the impact that it has on the more vulnerable, something that sellers don't seem to care about.

"Recently I have been informed that a child as young as 12 years-of-age in Selby buys and smokes cannabis. This can not be right and I am quite passionate about prosecuting those who sell to him and his friends.

"The people who sell this drug are in contact with organised criminals who do not care about the wider impacts. Organised criminals who in this very district we know are willing to seriously hurt others to keep their unlawful businesses running.

"I don't get drawn into the debate of how harmless it is, indeed it 'appears' to be one of the less dangerous drugs, a fact that we consider when we deal with offenders. But what lies behind can be this 'harmless' activity is truly daunting and that is why we do what we do."