A Purley man has been sentenced to four and half years in prison after being found in possession of cocaine in Caterham.

Paul Young, 31, of Whitefield Avenue, Purley, was found guilty of one charge of possession of a class-A drug with intent to supply, when he appeared at Guildford Crown Court on October 5.

Officers were called to Croydon Lane, Caterham, on June 11 last year following reports of two men acting suspiciously in the car park of The Valley public house.

Young and another man were identified and searched by officers and a search was also made of Young's vehicle and sports bag which was found to contain a clear plastic bag of cocaine and electronic scales.

The drugs found had an estimated street value of between £2,500 and £3,000. An order was made for the forfeiture and destruction of the drugs.

PC Sorella Staines of Surrey Police's Public Protection Unit, said: "The custodial sentence handed to Young should send a clear message to those coming into the county to deal Class A drugs that this will not be tolerated by police and the courts.

"It is well recognised that Class A drugs destroy lives; not just the lives of the drugs users themselves but those people who have become victims of crimes through the users need to obtain funds to pay for their addiction."