Clare Tomlin was caught red-handed with more than £1,000 of the Class A drug, hundreds of pounds in cash and a set of scales covered in brown powder.

Dumbarton Sheriff Court heard police had turned up at her Tullichewan home armed with a search warrant on April 29.

The 40-year-old’s later told police she had forgotten about one of the bags of heroin the officers had found in her home.

Last week she appeared in the dock after admitting to being concerned in the supply of heroin. After the search Tomlin was taken to Clydebank Police and told cops that she had dropped some of the drugs when cops arrived. She also told them she used the scales to weigh the heroin and said it was cheaper to buy the drug in bulk.

The court heard the drugs recovered had the potential to reach as much as £1,130 on the street. Roddy Boag, defending, said it was a social supply situation which saw a number of people club together to buy drugs. He also said that Tomlin had a drug problem but had sought assistance to get her habit under control.

Mr Boag added: “The only question is whether there’s any way other than custody in dealing with Ms Tomlin. It would be my submission there is.” However Sheriff John Rafferty disagreed and jailed Tomlin, of Woodbank Court, Tullichewan, for a total of 10 months.