What is really going on in politics? Get our daily email briefing straight to your inbox Sign up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

Police were called to the Home Office after a stash of crystal meth was found four days after new Home Secretary Sajid Javid took over.

The highly-addictive drug, also known as ice, and a pipe to smoke it with were discovered by security guards in a disabled loo.

It was the third such incident in six months at the Home Office, which is responsible for overseeing the nationwide war on drug abuse.

Yet Scotland Yard decided not to mount a full investigation – with Government officials unable to say why.

The embarrassing revelation came on the same day Mr Javid, who took over after Amber Rudd resigned a fortnight ago, tweeted a picture of himself with a Border Force officer and a sniffer dog called Trigger at Heathrow Airport.

He posted: “We have impressive four-legged friends helping sniff out drugs, cash and illicit goods. Go Trigger!”

Crystal meth, which featured in cult US television drama Breaking Bad, carries severe penalties for its use.

The stash of it was found on May 3 at the Home Office’s Marsham Street HQ in London’s Whitehall, where 5,000 staff are employed.

An insider said: “Everyone in the building is talking about this.

“We’re the lead department in the war against illegal drugs so it’s hugely embarrassing when they’re found under our noses.

“Our job is to break the bad guys. not to feature in an episode of Breaking Bad.”

In December last year crystal meth and a pipe were also found in a different Home Office disabled toilet.

And last month cocaine was discovered elsewhere in the building. Security is tight at the Home Office, which is also responsible for co-ordinating the battle against terrorism.

Visitors must go through a rigorous security system which involves body and bag scans and being sniffed by automatic devices for bombs.

But staff have passes which allow them entry through automatic gates and their bags are not searched. The Home Office shares the building with Defra and Housing staff but all the drug finds occurred at its end of the premises.

Buying drugs from a dealer could lay any user wide open to blackmail.

(Image: Mirrorpix)

Tonight the Home Office was unable to say why the police are not investigating further. A spokeswoman told the Sunday Mirror: “We take incidents of this nature extremely seriously.”

But Shadow police minister Louise Haigh said: “The Tories can’t even run their own Whitehall departments, let alone the country. With 21,000 fewer police on the beat thanks to Tory cuts, it’s crystal clear it’s time for change.”

The discovery came hot on the heels of Ms Rudd quitting as Home Secretary in the Windrush immigration row.

Mr Javid, formerly the Communities Secretary, walked into the Home Office on Monday, April 30 and the drugs were found on the following Thursday.

(Image: www-wallpaperhi-com)

The department’s top civil servant, Sir Philip Rutnam, is likely to conduct an internal inquiry to find out how widespread drug use is among his staff.

The Met Police confirmed: “A small quantity of suspected class A drugs were found discarded in a communal area.

“The substance was seized by officers and taken to a local police station. Advice was provided to security staff. No suspects have been identified at this time”.

Civil servants can be tested for drugs if bosses have good grounds for suspecting use is interfering with work.

Refusal to be subjected to testing can lead to disciplinary action.