Medicinal cannabis seized by authorities at Heathrow Airport is to be returned to the Co Tyrone family who had attempted to bring it in to the UK.

Charlotte Caldwell was stopped and had the cannabis oil taken off her at the London airport after flying in from Toronto, reports RTÉ. It was intended for her 12-year-old son Billy, who suffers with a sever form of epilepsy that causes him to suffer severe seizures several times a day. Speaking outside hospital today, Ms Caldwell said Billy had had two seizures overnight.

"The Home Office, myself and my team have been working extremely hard throughout the night to make this happen, which is truly amazing, but there can only be one conclusion here: that my beautiful sweet little boy, who has a life-threatening form of epilepsy and one seizure can kill him, he needs his medicine back today," she said.

UK Home Secretary confirmed that on the advice of Billy's medical staff the Home Office has granted a licence to allow the boy to be treated with medicinal cannabis. "This is a very complex situation, but our immediate priority is making sure Billy receives the most effective treatment possible in a safe way. "We have been in close contact with Billy's medical team overnight and my decision is based on the advice of senior clinicians who have made clear this is a medical emergency." The story comes months after a young Cork girl was granted a licence to be treated with medicinal cannabis in Ireland after years of campaigning by her mother Vera Twomey. Ava Barry's family had been seeking Cannabidiol (CBD), a cannabis extract, from the HSE to help give Ava relief from these episodes. Ava, 7, had been getting CBD in the Netherlands under the supervision of a neurologist there.