An Essex drug dealer who was found in a house in Colchester with drugs worth £1,700 has been locked up for 28 months.

Police officers went to the house to check on a vulnerable resident and saw 19-year-old Kieron Dice in the kitchen with another man and noticed a large knife on the table, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

During a search of the premises police found wraps of heroin and cocaine with a street value of £1,755 along with £670 cash.

Dice was found in possession of two burner phones which contained messages advertising drugs for sale and messages from people wanting to buy drugs.

Dice, of Eton Road, Ilford, admitted possessing heroin and crack cocaine with intent to supply on August 20 last year. He was sentenced to 28 months' detention in a young offenders’ institution.

Christian Wasunna, for Dice, said pressure had been put on his client to get involved with the supply of drugs to pay off a drug debt owed by his brother.

Mr Wasunna said while Dice had been in custody he had attended a number of educational courses and was keen to turn his life around.