A DARLINGTON mother left her two young children in a “freezing cold” house on Christmas Eve while she injected heroin in her bedroom.

Police officers and social workers found the 31-year-old's children wearing only T-shirts in the property, which had no heating or electricity on in December last year.

The woman, who did not react while the case was heard at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates’ Court heard on Tuesday, had pleaded guilty to two counts of child neglect earlier this month, magistrates adjourning the case to consider a probation service report.

An anonymous tip-off on the morning of Thursday, December 24, last year, led Darlington's social services to attend the terraced property after reports that the mother was using heroin around her two children.

Alan Davison, prosecuting, said: “Police went around to the property after social services had knocked with no reply.

“Police noted that the house was freezing cold and there was no electricity and the children were wearing only T-shirts and the little girl had a pronounced cough.

“There were few causes for concern in the downstairs of the house, but upstairs there was a significant amount of drug paraphernalia in [the defendant’s] room.

“There was a bolt on her bedroom door that she could use to effectively lock herself in to inject herself with drugs while keeping the children out.”

The court was shown a collection of photographs taken inside the family home, one of which showed a small Christmas tree stood in the corner of the living room.

In the woman’s bedroom there were around nine large pill bottles on top of a bedside drawer, alongside small plastic bags filled with white powder and pills.

Plastic tubs stuffed with drug paraphernalia and uncapped syringes were also strewn across the bedroom floor.

The magistrates heard the woman was arrested on suspicion of child neglect and agreed for her children to be taken into care.

On Tuesday, she was given a 14-week custodial sentence, suspended for two years, and ordered to pay costs of £165.

Elizabeth Aisbitt, mitigating, said: “She’s gone through process of having her children taken from her and that is something that might outweigh any punishment that the court could impose."

She added: “We’ve heard that there was no electricity in the house, but I’m told the electricity metre had tripped the night before and she was seeing to it when the police and social services arrived.

“She’s deeply ashamed, but she’s seeking help.”