A two-year-old girl was spotted clutching a bag of cocaine whilst playing at a children's centre in Salford.
The toddler was one of eight children at the Oakland Day Nursery, which operates from the Charlestown and Lower Kersal Sure Start Centre.
The town's mayor Ian Stewart said nursery workers acted 'quickly and professionally' in removing the package from the little girl, and informing the police.
"The package was intact and still sealed," he said. "So thankfully there was no indication that any children had been harmed by the powder. However, we do take situations like this very seriously and we are doing all we can to support the police with their investigation."
The mum of another child in the class said she got a call from the nursery telling her the bag of cocaine had been found and that they had 'no idea where it came from'.
The shocked mum said it was 'disgusting', telling her local newspaper:
"It's a nursery. You expect your kid to be safe when they are there and you place your trust in them."
The children are thought to have been supervised by two staff members and in a public area of the Sure Start centre at the time.
The nursery's manager Julia Johnston said their safeguarding procedures 'were, as always, in place' and that the 'safety of our children is paramount'.
"Our staff are very vigilant and spotted that the girl was holding the bag straight away," she said.
A police spokesman, Detective Chief Inspector Dave Riddick said that their was no indication that anyone had been using or dealing with drugs at the centre and that inquiries were ongoing.
"We understand that any parent will be concerned by this, but I want to reassure them that no child was harmed," he said.
How appalled would you be if this happened at your child's nursery or school?