Huge stashes of illegal drugs have been found buried underground at a festival site days before the event was due to begin.

More than 80,000 music fans will head to Creamfields Festival in Daresbury, Cheshire, from Thursday.

About 204 canisters of nitrous oxide – known as laughing gas – and large bags containing ecstasy, MDMA and ketamine tablets were dug up by police during a pre-event search of the grounds, Cheshire Police said.

Supt Andy Blizard said: “Every year, we counter a number of brazen individuals who think they can outsmart us by concealing drugs from view or burying them at the site months in advance.”

“There is a zero-tolerance policy regarding drugs,” he said.

Blizard said he expected to find more drugs as searches continued which would lead to “many of those who chose to bury these items very much disappointed to find them no longer where they left them when they arrive at the festival to dig them back up”.

“Anyone who has buried a rucksack or holdall bag at the site and would like it back is asked to get in contact with us,” he said.

During the festival, officers will be supporting Creamfields event and security staff and providing a visible presence to prevent incidents of crime and disorder from occurring, the Cheshire force added.

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