A 21-YEAR-OLD Darwen man has appeared in court charged with possession of ecstasy and cannabis after drugs left in a kettle were inadvertently eaten and drunk by two women and their four-year-old sons.

Jeffrey Farquar, of Queen Street, Darwen, was remanded on bail until November 3 by Blackburn magistrates with conditions that he lives at his mother's address in Lytham Road, Blackburn, and does not contact Joanne Wilson.

Joanne and her twin sister Patricia, who is Farquar's partner, and their four-year-old sons, Liam and Nathan, were all rushed to hospital on Monday night. The two women and Liam were released after receiving treatment but Nathan was transferred to Pendlebury Children's Hospital.

Prosecutor Margaret Duckworth told the court that Nathan is expected to survive the incident but it was too early to say what the long-term effects might be.