THREE children were found sleeping on a mattress in the back of a van stopped for speeding on the M6.

The man driving the van was given a Drugwipe at the scene which tested positive for cannabis.

It was following a search of the van that officers from Merseyside Police Roads Policing Unit found the three children asleep in the back.

Police had spotted the speeding driver in the early hours of the morning, and he was stopped at a service station.

After testing positive for cannabis, the man was arrested, and the children taken to a place of safety.