A YOUNG mum stowed drugs she had found in an alleyway in her car, Hereford Magistrates Court heard.

Nicola Ritchie, prosecuting, said that on April 12, 22-year-old Demi Leigh Davies was stopped by police as she drove through Herefordshire on the M50.

Officers conducting a search of her car found three wraps of a white substance, later confirmed to be cocaine totalling 36 grams.

In interview Davies, who is from Birmingham, said the wraps were hers and were for personal use.

Alan Bryce, for Davies, said the single mum had found the drugs in an alleyway near her home just before the birth of her child.

She was suffering from depression at the time and decided to keep them in her car, where they remained for around four or five weeks before she was stopped by police.

"She is now in a better place and feels much happier in herself," Mr Bryce said.

Davies received a £120 fine for possessing the class A drug. She was ordered to pay costs of £100 and a £30 victim surcharge.