MATERIALS and equipment seized by police at drugs farms in the North-East are being used to teach young people about gardening.

Compost and growing gear used by dealers for the cultivation of cannabis is being distributed to allotments in the Derwentside area.

Police are supporting the HAGGRID (Horticulture, Agriculture, General Education and Individual Development) project, which aims to provide young people with a positive programme of development in a community allotment based setting.

It also ties in with the work of the Eddy project, which aims to show youngsters there is an alternative to a life of crime, by taking part in organised activities.

PC Nev Waller said: “We target criminality and people growing illegal substances. What has happened in the past is this equipment and material would be destroyed and disposed of so we wanted to make better use of it.

“We get a lot of information from the general public about cannabis growing so we wanted to put it back into community projects.”

The equipment, such as plants pots, thermometers and grow bags, came from raids across the Derwentside area and was handed over to PC Iain Roberston, project coordinator from Durham Agency Against Crime, at the allotments near Laburnum Avenue, next to Blackhill and Consett Park.

Earlier today (Friday, January 24)  more than 80 cannabis plants and equipment was seized when police executed a warrant at a house in Craghead, near Stanley.