Laughing gas banned across Lambeth as council says proposed new law 'does not go far enough'

 
Banned: Laughing gas (Picture: Rex)
Rex
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Laughing gas is among legal highs to be banned in Lambeth.

The council’s cabinet approved a “Public Spaces Protection Order” that bans the “consumption and supply of legal highs in public spaces”.

From August 17 anyone caught using or selling them faces a maximum £1,000 fine.

It follows “complaints from residents about legal highs, particularly laughing gas users” and “large groups of individuals using nitrous oxide around clubs and pubs”, the cabinet report states,

There were 57 allegations to police last year in Vauxhall, Clapham, Brixton and Streatham that were linked to legal highs, ranging from their supply to anti-social behaviour and sexual assault.

There were also complaints from residents about “litter and waste” from discarded laughing gas canisters.

Lambeth is London’s first local authority to ban legal highs, following Lincoln in April.

It comes ahead of a planned government ban on legal highs. Seventeen deaths in the UK were linked to nitrous oxide use between 2006 and 2012.

The ban came as the council admitted it had seen a "significant increase" in both antisocial behaviour and litter linked to legal highs in the last 12 months - and claimed the government's proposed new law would not go far enough.

Lambeth's cabinet member for neighbourhoods, Cllr Jane Edbrooke, said legislation would leave a "big gap" in policing the use of substances such as laughing gas.

"The government's new laws will tackle production, importation and supply of legal highs, but there's a big gap around actually tackling people who use these drugs and leave canisters lying all over our streets.

"The mess left in some of our neighbourhoods after a Friday and Saturday night just isn’t acceptable, with families having to witness this behaviour on a regular basis, as well as coming across these canisters in their playgrounds, parks and streets."

She added the order would "protect local people's quality of life and get on top of this problem".

Taking its wording from the Psychoactive Substances Bill, currently working its way through Parliament, the PSPO targets "substances with the capacity to stimulate or depress the central nervous system" - but comes with a hefty exceptions list, including alcohol, food, medicine and tobacco.

Cllr Edbrooke added: "Legal highs are simply not safe – we saw that just days ago with the death of a teenager who had inhaled laughing gas.

“It is our duty to keep our residents safe and this new order should deter people from supplying and using legal highs in the borough.

“The litter and antisocial behaviour associated with certain legal highs has also blighted areas like Vauxhall and Clapham and now we have the power to do something about it.”

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