A DRUG taking mum’s three-year-old son was found wandering the street dressed only in a nappy, top and her shoes.

Bolton magistrates heard how police were called to a street in Deane on May 30 last year.

“A child had been found wandering the streets alone wearing only a nappy, a jumper and adult trainers,” said Richard Greenough, prosecuting.

“Thankfully, he was found by a passer-by.”

The stranger alerted the child’s grandmother, who went to her daughter’s home. The grandmother later told police that her daughter was “a mess”.

“She only had a pair of shorts on and a top, which wasn’t fastened and you couldn’t make out what she was saying,” said Mr Greenough.

The mother claimed to have had a drink, but none was in the house.

“The defendant didn’t have a clue where her son was,” said Mr Greenough.It appeared as if she was hallucinating and was wasn’t making much sense.

“She was argumentative and swearing and she didn’t seem to have any idea what she had taken to make her act like she was doing.”

Mr Greenough added that the house was dirty and untidy and there was no food except milk, cereal and a tin of corned beef.

“There were empty bottles of methadone with lids off in the house. Some of these bottles still had remnants of the methadone in,” he said.

“The grandmother says that, in her opinion, the defendant was a complete disgrace on that day and she is ashamed to call her her daughter.”

The court heard that the woman’s four children are now being cared for by relatives.

The 37-year-old defendant, who cannot be named to protect the identity of her children, pleaded guilty to child neglect.

Samantha Cole, defending, stressed that, at the time of the offence, the mother was going through a difficult time in her life and had taken some other medication at the same time as her methadone.

“She said that had a reaction with the tablets she had taken and she accepts that, while she had the care of the child, she shouldn’t have done that, “ said Ms Cole. “It had some reaction she did not know would happen and she wasn’t doing it on purpose.”

She added that the woman is now off methadone and has made lifestyle changes.

“She appears before the court a very different person. She has had a big lesson,” said Ms Cole.

The mum wept in the dock as Chairman of the Bench, Mrs Susan Baines told her: “It is quite a harrowing case that has come to court today — quite shocking.

“I’m actually pleased to see that you are showing remorse there because, as an adult in charge of a young, vulnerable three-year-old child, it’s very sad.

“What is sad is that it has taken you 10 years of being on methadone to now change your behaviour because of this.

“I’m also quite pleased that your child is in the care of someone who can actually take care of him.”

Magistrates ordered that the woman be electronically tagged and made subject to an 8pm to 7am curfew for two months.

She was sentenced to a community order for 12 months during which she must participate in 25 days of rehabilitation activities and she was told to pay £170 in costs and charges.