Charity The Loop helping to save live in the North West by testing potentially lethal drugs at raves

• ITV Granada Reports correspondent Tim Scott was given exclusive behind the scenes access to the Loop mobile laboratory at the Warehouse Project in Manchester

A charity has joined forces with a major music venue in a bid to keep clubbers safe from harmful drugs.

The Loop, which has a Home Office licence to test drugs at the Warehouse Project in Manchester, works to warn others about pills and powders that are in circulation.

Rather than condoning drug use the charity instead accepts it will happen and uses state-of-the-art technology to test those that have been confiscated or donated.

Katy Porter CEO of The Loop takes charge of the substances, removing them from surrender bins and bringing them upstairs to the charity's laboratory.

"We will be testing them quickly and rapidly to see what is in the substances to see if there is anything of concern," she says.

The drug haul includes all manner of pills and powders - and until they are tested it is impossible to know what they contain.

Using state-of-the-art technology the drugs are tested, catalogued and entered into a database which means super-strength or rogue batches can be monitored.

If a contaminated or super-strength batch are identified alerts are sent out via social media or the Warehouse Project app so that people know what to avoid or can seek help if they are feeling unwell.

Katy adds: "People do choose to take drugs and we want to ensure if people are making those choices we are able to provide good, accurate, clear information for people to take informed decisions and hopefully reduce any harms that may come about through the choice to take drugs."

Katy says a significant concern is the variation in strength of MDMA or ecstasy pills.

"We have found them to get stronger in 2024 but still there is a real variance in the strength of MDMA that might be within a pill," she adds.

"We've seen a range of 90mg through to 300mg which could be three times what could be a single dose for an individual."

The Warehouse Project is one of the largest music venues in the UK - each year tens of thousands flock there to dance and enjoy its roster of DJs from around the world.

Like most venues of its kind, many people who attend will take drugs, with The Loop working alongside them since 2013.

Event Director John Drape says The Loop's drug testing programme is one way of reducing the potential harm.

"Having an onsite laboratory means we can test drugs that much quicker," he says.

"The quicker we can test them, the quicker we can get results and should there be anything of concern.

"It could be something that is super strong or something contaminated, and it means we can get the warnings out.

"It's all about getting the warnings out quickly."

Ray Lakeman's son's Jaques and Torin from the Isle of Man died in 2014 after overdosing on ecstasy.

He believes drug testing saves lives and says his two boys may still be here if drug-testing had been in place.

"I'm quite sure that if there had been drug testing my boys if they took it would have known what it was and they would still be here today," he says.

"Anything that would have made it possible, I'm hopeful."

He has been campaigning for drug-testing to be rolled out more widely in clubs across the UK.

With the Warehouse Project's season now over, The Loop will look forward to the summer music-festivals to continue its work.

It is hoped they will be able to expand their life-saving mission to even more venues across the UK in the future.