Council staff got more than they bargained for when they seized an 'abandoned' car in Ventnor.
A bag containing cannabis, prescription medication and other drugs related paraphernalia was discovered inside the vehicle.
The unexpected find was made following parking enforcement undertaken at Wheelers Bay car park.
The drugs were recovered by a council contactor who removed the vehicle.
Councillor Phil Jordan, Cabinet member for highways and infrastructure, said the operation had not only succeeded in removing a so-called persistent evader from the car park, but taken a quantity of illegal drugs off the Island's streets.
He said:
“This emphasises the terrific service to the community undertaken by our environment and civil enforcement officers on the street and is an example of teamwork between council departments, our contractor and external agencies of which we are rightly proud.”
It was a council environment officer who first raised the alarm after he observed several vehicles parked at Wheelers Bay car park he suspected of being in breach of the 24 hour maximum waiting restriction.
Alerting colleagues in parking enforcement, further investigations were made resulting in a number of penalty notices being issued. Additionally, two vehicles identified as 'persistent offenders' were seized.
The drugs discovery was reported to police and investigations are continuing.