Metal detectorists taken ill eating 'cannabis cakes' in High Melton Published duration 27 August 2019

image copyright Getty/Michael Nosek image caption Baked goods which are cannabis-infused are sometimes called "space cakes"

A group of metal detectorists were taken to hospital after unknowingly eating cakes apparently spiked with cannabis in a village called High Melton near Doncaster.

Thirteen men and women fell ill at Coil To The Soil's rally on Saturday.

A detectorist spokesman said: "People could have died. It was lucky that no children or people on medication with serious health problems ate the cake."

A 48-year-old woman from County Durham has been arrested and bailed.

Julian Evan-Hart, editor of Treasure Hunting Magazine, said it was a "dreadful incident" but he did not believe it was malevolent.

'Random lunacy'

"I think it was an irresponsible, poorly thought-through joke," he said.

"This isn't a poor reflection on our hobby, the dig organisers or anyone else involved the planning of the event. It's just a case of random lunacy."

image copyright Getty/Sestovic image caption More than a dozen people at the detectorist event were said to have "ingested" the substance

A large fleet of medical staff were called to the scene, including eight ambulances, a rapid response vehicle, two doctors, two clinical supervisors and a Hazardous Area Response Team.

Yorkshire Ambulance Service said two people were treated on the spot.

It said: "Yorkshire Ambulance Service received an emergency call just before 18:30 BST on Saturday to reports of a number of people feeling unwell at a national metal detecting event...

"They had become unwell after ingesting an unknown substance."

Mr Evan-Hart said the cakes were homemade, and had not been sold.

Police said the 13 people admitted to hospital, who came from various places across the country, were later discharged.

image copyright Google Maps image caption The class B drug was inadvertently ingested in High Melton

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