A BOY from Hereford has been caught with drugs by police as he openly smoked cannabis around them.

But when officers spoke to the 13-year-old boy's appropriate adult, they thought smoking the illegal drug was "acceptable".

West Mercia Police said plain-clothed officers were patrolling the Lines, the walking route from the Courtyard, Edgar Street, across Hunderton Bridge and to Newton Farm, where they spotted the boy during a stop and search operation.

RELATED NEWS:

A number of people were searched in relation to drugs offence, police support volunteer Ben Godsall said.

One of those was the 13-year-old who was stopped after "openly smoking cannabis", a class B drug.

"The 13-year-old's appropriate adult went on to believe that this was acceptable," he added.

OTHER NEWS:

Sentencing Council guidelines say that for possession of a class B drug, such as cannabis, offenders can be sent to prison for a maximum of five years, but the offence range goes from a discharge to 26 weeks custody.

One adult was also stopped and he was arrested for possession with intent to supply.

This led to police searching a linked address in Newton Farm in relation to drug offences. The man has since been charged and bailed, police said.

Class B drugs were seized throughout the day as a result of the officers' operation.