RED-FACED police have apologised for smashing into the wrong house during a botched drugs raid.

Officers raided the innocent family's home looking for cannabis or heroin - but all they found were a couple of Twiglets down the back of the sofa.

Last night, Cleveland Police said sorry for the mistake and promised to repair any damage done to the property rented by Tim Flood and Cheryl Murray.

Mr Flood, 24, a third-year engineering degree student, was handcuffed and forced into the street in Stockton, Teesside, during a drug blitz on Tuesday.

Last night, he said he was thankful that fiancee Cheryl, 23, and their 11-month-old daughter Jessica were not at home when police barged in.

He said: "It is utterly humiliating to have your house forcibly entered by seven huge armoured police officers, to be handcuffed, and frogmarched around in full view of the entire street.

"I saw someone at the door and went to unlock it, but he shouted 'Get out of the way' and smashed it in. They were shouting 'Where's the drugs, where's the drugs?'"

A police spokeswoman admitted last night that the house in Whickham Road had been wrongly targeted.

She said: "Unfortunately, on this occasion, we did make a mistake."After a search of the house had been carried out, Tim was asked where he got the sofa, and he told officers it had come from his mother.

He was asked if she smoked cannabis before an officer showed him two brown lumps - which turned out to be bits of his favourite snack - that had found down the back of the settee.

A police spokeswoman admitted last nigh that the house in Whickham Road had been wrongly targeted.

She said: "Unfortunately, on this occasion, we did make a mistake. Apologies have been offered to the occupants of the house and police will fund any repair costs to the door."