Drug advice on 'lethal' form of ecstasy

A warning's been issued in the Island about a potentially lethal form of ecstasy.

It comes from the drug advice charity DASH - which is circulating advice from Public Health England about Superman-branded red pills.

The drug is being sold as ecstasy but contains large quantities of PMMA, a substance which has been linked to several deaths in England over the Christmas and new year period.

An alert was raised in Madrid this week and the pills have previously been found circulating in Sweden and the Netherlands. 

PMMA is a Class A drug with similar effects to MDMA, which is normally found in ecstasy, but is more potent.

Users are being warned it takes longer to take effect but can kill at a lower doses - causing a rapid and fatal rise in body temperature, severely raised heart rate and blood pressure.

The advice is to remain vigilant at home and when travelling abroad.