Lincolnshire health service warns over dangerous nitazene drugs
An addiction support service is warning about the danger of super-strength drugs that have been linked to a number of deaths across the UK.Lincolnshire Recovery Partnership (LRP), which is focussed on preventing overdoses, said it had seen a big increase in the use of nitazenes, which are synthetic opioids mixed into street drugs, such as heroin.Albert Clifton, from the service's rough sleeper team, said: "People are not aware of what they're getting until they've used it and it's wiping them out. It's dangerous stuff."Recovering heroin addict Mark, not his real name, said users were playing Russian roulette due to not knowing what is in the drugs they are taking.
"Every drug that you get that's in powder or tablet form will be cut with something. You haven't got a clue what's in it," he said. "It's Russian roulette."The 51-year-old, who was excluded from school at 14, left home and began using cannabis and later heroin, said his girlfriend overdosed in 2024 after taking a "speedball" - a mixture of cocaine, heroin and pharmaceutical drugs.He said she survived after being rushed to hospital but claimed his neighbour was found dead last month after taking drugs.
According to the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, nitazenes are "typically many times stronger than heroin and carry a higher risk of overdose".In March 2024, the government added 15 synthetic opioids, including 14 types of nitazene, to the list of Class A drugs, while the Home Office said people convicted of supplying the substances would face "tough penalties".The latest figures, released by the Home Office in January, showed that since June 2023, there had been at least 400 drug-related deaths across the UK linked to nitazenes and said it expected this figure to increase in the coming years.Mr Clifton, who is based in Boston, has been handing out warm clothes to rough sleepers as well as naloxone - a nasal spray that acts as an antidote to nitazene."I know people who have had an overdose but have not died from it simply because they had naloxone," he said."There has been a big increase in nitazene. We are hearing more about it from the people who access our service that it is becoming more prevalent."We need to make people aware that it's here and possibly here to stay."
Police administering antidote
Lincolnshire Police said its officers were being trained to use the antidote spray."It saves lives," said Richard Nethercott, temporary Ch Insp at South Holland station, near Boston."We are in a unique position as we are often first attending to the scene. If we come across someone who we feel has overdosed we can administer the spray."To help heroin users identify if they have a dose containing a nitazene, the LRP, which is funded by the local authority, has been handing out test strips that users can use to check for themselves."They (nitazenes) have become quite a big issue recently," said Emma Geal, who is a recovery worker at the partnership based in Gainsborough. "We have noticed a lot of people coming back saying it had nitazene in it. Some said they didn't use it, some people tested their heroin after and, unfortunately, they were not as lucky and did overdose."Mark has become a father for the first time and said his son was his motivation to stay off drugs and warn others of its dangers.He said: "I don't want him to be anything like what I've been. I need to get this knowledge into his head before I expire."
Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Wales Online
an hour ago
- Wales Online
RHS senior plant health scientist explains whether you should deter invasion of plant-covering flies
RHS senior plant health scientist explains whether you should deter invasion of plant-covering flies You may have noticed thousands of tiny flies covering your plants in recent weeks Aphids on a stem (Image: Alamy/PA ) The RHS was right about an invasion of sap-sucking aphids thanks to a warm spring, if my garden is anything to go by, writes Hannah Stephenson from the Press Association. In the past three weeks, I've seen wafts of greenfly smother the stems and buds of pretty flowering perennials and roses, while trademark trails of blackfly have appeared on my clematis. Back in May, the RHS reported that the warm spring has encouraged rapid and early colony growth, with many aphids to be found now on acers, roses and honeysuckle. In addition, some previously glasshouse-bound species are now thought to be venturing into beds and borders and finding new plant hosts to feed on. 'This is the time of year when you'd expect to see more aphids. Aphids will overwinter or there will be eggs which will hatch out and then populations build up,' says Dr Stephanie Bird, RHS senior plant health scientist. While last year, the slug population exploded in the warm, wet weather, 2025 is the year of the aphid, the RHS has reported, and the number of inquiries it has received up to May about these tiny sap-sucking insects has risen. 'A lot of the aphids we have on our garden plants will have a different summer host that they'll start moving to, and this is the point in the year when predators haven't actually started controlling populations,' says Dr Bird. Article continues below We have more than 500 species of aphid in the UK, in shades of red, yellow, black, green, brown or pink, some of which feed on specific plants, others which will suck the sap out of a wide host range. They are weather-dependent Weather will affect populations, as aphids will thrive in a warm, dry spring and summer. 'Aphids' life cycles are temperature dependent, and the slightly warmer weather means they they are able to reproduce and build up their numbers slightly quicker,' she explains. And warmer winters lead to earlier activity, she adds. Aphids on a rose bud (Image: Rachael Tanner/RHS/PA ) Aphids don't need a partner to reproduce 'They don't need to find a partner and can reproduce asexually. It's a bit like Russian dolls. Inside one aphid there is another aphid and inside that aphid there's another one,' says Dr Bird. Their populations can bloom rapidly. How much damage can aphids do? Many plants tolerate their feeding with no ill effects, but colonies can cause a lack of plant vigour, distorted growth and they often leave a coating of their sticky excretions called honeydew on which sooty moulds can grow. Some aphids also transmit plant viruses. 'They're unlikely to kill plants, especially established ones,' says Dr Bird. 'For instance, if you've a cherry tree which has distorted leaves which are black and sticky, and is covered in cherry black aphids, you will still get cherries off that tree.' Nor should they kill general garden plants – they just make them look unsightly, she adds. Who are their natural enemies? Parasitoid organisms such as wasp larvae develop inside the aphids and eventually kill them. Other predators include birds, predatory midges, earwigs, ladybirds and their larvae, lacewing larvae and hoverfly larvae. 'Hoverflies are beneficial pollinating insects and their larvae feed on aphids,' says Dr Bird. 'Having aphids in your garden is part of the natural garden ecosystem. You need these kinds of insects to feed things higher up in the food chain,' she adds. Hayley Jones, principal entomologist at the RHS, continues: 'Understanding how they can be managed through simple planting choices or encouragement of natural predators will help minimise damage and potential plant losses while maintaining a healthy garden ecosystem.' Aphids on the underside of a leaf (Image: Alamy/PA ) How can you deter them? The RHS advises gardeners to tolerate them where possible, but if you can't, use your finger and thumb to squash colonies and check plants frequently before the damage has developed. Don't use pesticides, it says, because they reduce biodiversity, including natural enemies, and impact soil health. Encourage natural enemies of aphids into your garden by planting pollinator-friendly plants. Article continues below Susceptible plants Aphids are attracted to many plants. Some are specific to which plant they will invade, such as rose aphids. Others will inhabit many different plants. 'They generally inhabit the same sorts of places, so you'll find them a lot of the time on the undersides of leaves, but they also like the developing softer tissues around flowers and buds,' says Dr Bird. Which plants are less susceptible? You won't notice aphids on plants such as ornamental grasses and ferns, Dr Bird points out.
Evening Standard
15 hours ago
- Evening Standard
Nato chief Mark Rutte warns UK must spend more on defence or ‘learn to speak Russian'
"I mean, what I know is that if we want to keep our societies safe... look, if you do not do this, if you would not go to the 5%, including the 3.5% core defence spending, you could still have the National Health Service, or in other countries their health systems, the pension system, etcetera, but you had better learn to speak Russian."
Evening Standard
17 hours ago
- Evening Standard
Nato chief says UK's defence spending plans not at odds with 5% goal
'I mean, what I know is that if we want to keep our societies safe… look, if you do not do this, if you would not go to the 5%, including the 3.5% core defence spending, you could still have the National Health Service, or in other countries their health systems, the pension system, etcetera, but you had better learn to speak Russian.'
