A MAN was left guarding what he believed to be bags of illegal drugs after police did not respond to his 999 call quickly enough.

Simon Carr said he could smell a strong scent of cannabis after returning from a shopping at Tesco on Sunday morning.

He had been dropping off his step-daughter at her home in Romney Walk when he said he smelt the cannabis.

Mr Carr, 33, traced the smell to five bin bags near a garage in Mulberry Walk and said they were filled with what he believed to be skunk, a strong form of cannabis.

As soon as he discovered the bags he contacted police.

He made the first call at 11.06am on Sunday but left the area after an hour over fears for his safety when word spread there were free drugs.

Police said officers arrived at the scene at 12.47pm as they had been diverted to other incidents.

The local community beat manager was contacted immediately but was committed to another incident.

Mr Carr, of Clarendon Road, said: “People were just grabbing armfuls of it.

"I tried to fob them off but I couldn’t hold them back.

“If I had known the police would taken that long I would have bagged them up and taken them to the police station myself.

“I was desperate to stop the kids but I couldn’t believe the police didn’t turn up.”

Blackburn Chief Insp Terry Woods said: “I agree with Mr Carr that Lancashire Constabulary did not respond to this incident quickly enough.

“At the time of his call my officers were dealing with a large number of other incidents but we should have ensured that we got there quicker.

“This incident is being investigated with a view to lessons being learned.”