Two pupils have been expelled from a school for possessing cannabis just months after four students were caught with cocaine.

The pupils, believed to be girls aged 14 or 15, have been permanently excluded from Holy Trinity School, in Gossops Green, Crawley, for having the Class C drug.

The incident happened two weeks ago and the school said immediate action was taken in line with Holy Trinity's zero-tolerance policy against drugs.

Headteacher Peter Wickert said: "At this school our drugs policy remains unchanged.

"Any pupil found bringing cannabis or other illegal drugs into school will be permanently excluded.

"As is shown in this case, where we have evidence we will act decisively and immediately.

"Our policy has received the overwhelming support of pupils and parents."

The Church of England secondary school, in Buckswood Drive, said the drug was not smoked on the premises.

The two pupils have been permanently excluded but can appeal against the decision.

Earlier this year four teenage girls were expelled from the school for snorting cocaine before a lesson.

The 14-year-olds were seen taking the Class A drug in a toilet cubicle on January 31.

At the time the headteacher described the girls involved as "very naive".

He denied there was a drug problem at the school, which has more than 1,200 pupils.

Mr Wickert said there had never been any previous incidents of drugs being used on the premises in the five years he had been at the school.

The school regularly comes top in Crawley for GCSE and A-Level results.