A MAN has been charged with drug offences following a police operation to target travelling criminals in Blackburn train station.

Officers manned mobile knife arches at the station on Friday evening to detect those carrying weapons on the rail network. And they also used passive drugs dogs to sniff out people carrying drugs on the trains and station.

They issued several warnings to people carrying cannabis and one man was arrested and charged with possession of cannabis and for being drunk and disorderly.

Sergeant Rick Herbert, of the British Transport Police said: “It was a pre-planned operation between ourselves, Lancashire Constabulary and Northern Railways to target anti-social behaviour and drug-related crime.

“It also incorporated two knife arches to search for weapons.

“We want people to feel safe and secure when using trains and stations and this is just one way in which we can show criminality will not be tolerated.

“We know that the vast majority of people who use the targeted stations are law abiding and these people have nothing to fear from the presence of the arches or dogs.”