WARRINGTON Borough Council had to disable their Facebook page on Tuesday night after hundreds of people vented their fury over council claims cannabis was stronger than heroin.

The ‘It’s Not Just a Joint’ initiative was launched earlier this week but came under fire after opposition campaigners claimed the council was suggesting heroin was a safer alternative to cannabis.

It is thought more than 450 people commented on the council’s Facebook page before it was taken down.

A statement on the council’s website said: “Due to a high volume of inappropriate comments and posts on the council’s public Facebook page, we have temporarily taken the page down.”

Anger was sparked after the council’s class B drug awareness initiative included the comment: “Did you know that cannabis can be stronger than heroin and cannabis related crime is the most common drug related crime in Warrington?”

Norml UK, a group working to reform cannabis laws, said the claims were ‘irresponsible and dangerous’.

The council posted a message on their Facebook page this morning, Wednesday, asking for 'appropriate comments' which are not 'perceived to promote illegal drug use'.

The post has already received more than 30 comments with some angry the council has not apologised.

A council spokesman said: “Uncertainty has arisen regarding some of the statistical data supporting the campaign.

"In the interests of ensuring robustness, we have decided to review the campaign.”