A woman who had drugs hidden in her underwear when she was searched at a police station was facing a jail sentence last night.

Maxine Blackwood, 36, had £200 worth of amphetamine and Methyl amphetamine. Half an Ecstasy tablet was also found on her bedside cabinet, said Gillian Batts, prosecuting.

When police staged an afternoon raid on her home she was in the sitting room with several other women. Officers discovered £700 in an envelope under a set of drawers, £96 on top, digital scales in the kitchen and a spoon with traces of white powder and numerous individual plastic bags, Teesside Crown Court heard.

Miss Batts said: "She was taken to Hartlepool police station and she became agitated when searched. As she removed her underwear she was found to have a bag containing a hard white substance which was found to be amphetamines and Methyl amphetamines."

She claimed that the drugs were for her own use and that the cash was a friend's Christmas club money.

Mrs Blackwood of Armadale Grove, Hartlepool, was remanded on bail for pre-sentence reports after a jury found her guilty of two charges of possession of Class B drugs with intent to supply on November 10 last year. She admitted possession of Ecstasy.

She had previous convictions for possession of amphetamines and Ecstasy with intent to supply. Judge Tim Hewitt warned her that she faced the possibility of prison.