Canines are usually used to help law enforcement detect the presence of illegal drugs. Now, according to a report, you can add equine to the list of animals that are useful for their sense of smell.

According to an article by Mirror News, a group of horses in the United Kingdom alerted their owners to sacks in a field, which were filled with cannabis leaves and stems.

Police were contacted and they are now investigating the situation. The sacks of the cannabis refuse were located near what is described as the ‘iconic’ Angel of the North statue.

The report has quoted an area resident as saying that the horses alerted their owners of the presence of the cannabis.

“They were sniffing about, so their owners wondered what they were looking at,” the resident was quoted as saying. “It was clear the horses were attracted to the area – it was probably the smell of the cannabis.

"My husband was out walking the dog down there when the police arrived and he said the officers were delighted to make the find. There was quite a bit there.”

A spokeswoman for the local Northumbria Police was quoted as saying that “Officers attended the scene where five bin bags were found at the back of a farm, four of which were in the middle of a pond, containing cannabis leaves and stems.”

A police investigation is underway. No arrests have been made as of yet.

(With files from Mirror News)