A COUNCILLOR said it is "deplorable" that drug dealers are dressing up cannabis "edibles" as popular brands of sweets after an eight-year-old became seriously ill.

West Yorkshire Police issued an urgent warning about the disguised drugs over the weekend after children were taken ill in two separate incidents in the Great Horton area of Bradford.

An eight-year-old boy and a 17-year-old girl were found seriously ill with poisoning symptoms at an address in Great Horton, shortly after midnight on Saturday.

Police were called by the ambulance service and both youngsters were rushed to hospital, with serious concerns for the condition of the young boy.

Superintendent Richard Padwell, of Bradford District, said there were initially "genuine concerns" that there might be a "tragic outcome" for the eight-year-old.

But both children have since recovered and been released from hospital.

It was established that the boy and girl had consumed cannabis "edibles", which are sweets laced with THC - the psychoactive chemical in cannabis that causes intoxication.

Councillor Tariq Hussain (Lab, Great Horton) said: "It’s a harrowing story for the parents of the children in that situation and shows the danger of drugs.

“It highlights the impact and dangerousness of drugs.”

Police recovered the pictured cannabis "edibles" from the address in Great Horton where the eight-year-old and 17-year-old were found ill.

They are branded as "Stoney Worms", with the tagline, "Sour Brite" and could be mistaken for a normal bag of sweets.

Cllr Hussain said: “It’s deplorable that they’re imitating sweets."

He feels awareness must be raised about these kinds of drugs and they should be "clamped down on", as they can have a "devastating effect" on young lives.

Police were also called to Bradford Royal Infirmary (BRI) by staff on Saturday afternoon.

They reported that a 15-year-old boy from the Great Horton area had been taken ill after consuming cannabis "edibles", in a separate incident to the two other youngsters.

He also recovered from his symptoms and enquiries are ongoing into how he, and the two other children, came into possession of the drugs.

Superintendent Padwell said: “We have been aware of cannabis ‘edibles’ being in circulation for some time, and our neighbourhood policing teams and other specialist officers have been actively targeting those involved in their supply, with arrest and seizures and investigations ongoing.

“These recent incidents where the health of children has been put at risk very starkly illustrate the dangers of this particular form of cannabis.

“These ‘edibles’ are professionally packaged like popular brands of sweets which can’t make them appear attractive to children, yet they often contain a very high dose of THC, the active ingredient in cannabis, which means that people can feel very unwell very quickly.

"We would urge parents and carers to be vigilant that these items are in circulation in our communities and to recognise the risks and report any concerns or information to us."