Newcastle clamp down on legal highs

Northumbria Police have launched a new task force to clamp down on the sale of legal highs in Newcastle.

It comes as the North East Ambulance Service has dealt with more than 200 calls outs to people who have taken legal highs this month alone, which they say is putting pressure on the service.

The police have also been called out to around 100 incidents of anti-social behaviour linked to legal highs.

The North East Ambulance service says they've had 213 call outs linked to legal highs since the start of the year and in the last week alone they've had to attend 50 incidents.

Legal highs are sold online and in some shops, and as the name suggests, they can legally be sold.

But after a number of incidents involving legal highs Northumbria Police has found that 20 per cent of products they have examined contain controlled substances.

They are now setting up a task force to crack down on the shops that sell them.

The superintendent heading up the task force says combatting legal highs is now a priority.

Magistrates are also taking the issue head on.

A shop in Fenham was recently handed a three month closure notice.

The shop owners say they'll appeal the magistrates' decision, but since it closed there's been no let up on incidents.

With ambulance services being delayed on attending other emergencies - the authorities say there's a real need to prevent legal highs going on the market.

Authorities are now co-ordinating their efforts to put an end to the sale of legal highs in Newcastle - and if successful it will ease the pressure on paramedics who have heavy workloads already.

Watch: Kris Jepson's full report here: