Potter actors back after drugs scare

Emma Watson, Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint star

Actors and crew filming the first Harry Potter movie are back at work after drugs equipment was found at the studios.

It emerged late on Sunday that the equipment had been discovered at the Leavesden Studios in Hertfordshire, where Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is being made.

The Warner Bros Pictures film, based on the first Harry Potter book, stars 11-year-old Daniel Radcliffe and fellow child actors Emma Watson, 10, and Rupert Grint, 12.

In a statement Warner Bros said it immediately advised police, and its own security team "undertook a complete and thorough investigation of the facilities".

The company stressed that the items in question were not found on or near the Harry Potter set.

'Serious'

It also said no actual drugs were found on the premises, and no direct link between the Harry Potter production and the equipment had been established.

A studio spokesperson said: "As we address this very serious matter, our paramount concern is for the safety and protection of the cast and crew of Harry Potter.

"Warner Bros Pictures will continue to work closely with the production to ensure that the highest level of security is enforced on the set and at the production facility."

It was not clear how long the equipment had been at the site.

The film is scheduled to complete filming at Leavesden Studios in March, and will be released in the US and UK in November.

It will also star John Cleese, Alan Rickman, Robbie Coltrane, Dame Maggie Smith and Zoe Wanamaker.