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Hundreds of people have taken to public parks for a mass 'celebration' of cannabis which have promised to openly flout UK drugs laws.

Events in London and Manchester labelled '420 Day' saw drugs campaigners rolling up and smoking the Class B drug in full view.

Police in both cities have warned they would not turn a blind eye and anyone caught in possession of illegal substances would be arrested or fined.

A crowd of people gathered at London's Hyde Park to show their support for decriminalisation of the drug.

But Met officers were also out in force and had erected signs warning smokers that they risked trouble.

And a similar event was also underway at Platt Fields park in Manchester where local organisers had claimed a 1,000-strong crowd would attend.

The events were part of the 420 global protest - which calls for governments around the world to decriminalise cannabis as a harmful drug.

But the Easter Sunday event has brought howls of protest from families and walkers who say it will blight their day out.

The phrase 420 was coined by Californian high school students in the early 70s and soon became an underground reference to the drug.

Cannabis was re-classified as a lower category Class C drug under Tony Blair's government in 2004 but was later returned to its Class B status under Gordon Brown.