Convicted drugs councillor resigns from Gainsborough Town Council

Sharon Hopkinson, who ran the White Hart in Gainsborough, was convicted of conspiracy to supply cocaine and heroin

A disgraced councillor and business owner convicted of conspiracy to deal drugs has resigned from the authority.

Sharon Hopkinson, 45, of the White Hart Hotel on Lord Street in Gainsborough, was convicted at Nottingham Crown Court on Tuesday.

She also faces having her licence revoked over "a significant rise in serious assaults" at the hotel.

Hopkinson, who served East ward on Gainsborough Town Council, was co-opted on to the authority two years ago.

News of the resignation came in the form of a notice posted on social media earlier.

No-one from the council has been available for comment as yet.

Hopkinson was convicted for her involvement in a large-scale drugs operation.

Lincolnshire Police said the conspiracy centred around a property on Bailgate in Lincoln, which was used to prepare "significant quantities of Class A drugs".

Large quantities of heroin and cocaine were found.

Officers also discovered cutting agents, a hydraulic press and heat sealing equipment, which detectives said were used to bulk out the drugs to maximise profits.

Since her conviction for the offences, which took place between April 2015 and July 2016, it has emerged police called for the licence on the White Hart to be revoked in July due to drugs being found on the premises and anti-social behaviour.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, a licensing application is due before West Lindsey District Council on Tuesday.

In a report, the force highlighted "a significant rise in serious assaults, which appear to centre on the White Hart Hotel".

A drugs check in March also found "high levels of cocaine" in both toilets and the main bar, according to police.