MORE than 1,000 ecstasy tablets destined for summer music festivals have been seized from a house in Darwen.

Police raided the property in Marsh House Lane at 9am today and also found cannabis and cocaine.

A 23-year-old man, from Darwen, was arrested at the scene on suspicion of possession of class A drugs with intent to supply and cultivation of cannabis. He is currently in police custody.

Police said the drugs, which were found across a number of rooms in the property, were believed to have been destined for East Lancashire’s summer festivals. The popular Beatherder festival starts in Sawley today and runs across the weekend.

Last week police issued a warning about the so-called punisher pills circulating in the county, which are said to have three times the strength of standard ecstasy.

The Lancashire Telegraph understands while the pills found in Darwen don’t appear to have the same external appearance as the punisher pills, police are warning revellers that taking any drugs come with potentially fatal consequences.

Detective Constable Paul Hayes said: “There is no safe way of taking drugs, and no way of knowing exactly what you are putting into your body and whether it is safe.

“Our best advice would be to not take drugs at all but if people do and they start to feel unwell or experience different symptoms then they should seek immediate medical attention.”

Residents told of their surprise at the raid but said they were thankful the drugs were now off the streets.

One Marsh House Lane resident said: “There was a police van and a police car parked up on the corner a few houses away from the chippy as I drove home.

“I didn’t expect it to be a drugs raid, that’s a surprise.”

Another resident said: “I’m glad those pills are off our streets and they won’t cause any harm to anyone.

“Well done for the police in finding these.”

For information about the dangers of taking drugs and their effects, please visit Talk to Frank at www.talktofrank.com.

DC Hayes added: “Lancashire Constabulary takes a proactive response into tackling the issue of drugs.

"We would urge people who have information about illegal drug related activity to come forward and contact us or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”