Senior public health and police officers have spoken out about their concerns about the introduction of dangerous high strength recreational drugs into Bristol that have sadly claimed the life of one young person and hospitalised several others in the past week.
Christina Gray, Director of Public Health at Bristol City Council, said today: “We’re becoming increasingly concerned about reports of a potentially lethal batch of drugs circulating in the city. It remains to be seen how widespread the issue is, however the recent hospitalisation of several people and the death of a young person suggests that this is not an isolated incident.
“Whilst I advise everyone against the use of illegal substances I urge anyone who intends to do so to take extra care and be aware of your friends and the help available to you. We’ve all waited a long time for the weekends to return, please don’t make it your last.
“Help is available for anyone who needs it, be it immediate health support if you or a friend are in trouble or longer-term aid to overcome addiction. If you’re worried about someone or you need confidential advice, please get in touch with a local or national service as soon as possible.”
Bristol Commander Supt Mark Runacres said: “We’d urge people to follow the advice of health experts to make sure they do not put themselves at undue risk. Officers will again be out engaging with people across the weekend as part of our established night-time economy policing plans.
“Our aim is not to stop people having fun; our aim is to make sure people remain safe while they have a good time.”
Anyone in immediate danger or in need of urgent medial support should call 999.
Thank you for reading this. The Week In has been publishing local news free of charge for the last 12 years. That won’t change in the future but we are changing the way we run our business. Until now, we have been solely dependent on advertising revenue but we have now set up a cooperative to oversee the future development of the publication. The Week In Community Ltd is a community benefit society, owned not by shareholders but individual members. By becoming a member at £3 a month you will not only be contributing to the future of local interest journalism but will also have a say in the future of the organisation. To find out more, click on the button on the right of the banner at the top of this page.
