Eagle-eyed resident spots stash of nitrous oxide bottles on Black Country estate
An "observant" Black Country resident spotted a stash of nitrous oxide cannisters in a hedge.
The resident, who lives on the Northway estate, in Sedgley discovered eight large canisters in a bag which also included alcohol.
The larger "Smartwhip" style nitrous oxide bottles are 76 times stronger than the small aluminium cannisters which have become a common sight on the streets and parks of the Black Country.
They are normally consumed via a balloon of nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas, however some users are inhaling direct from Smartwhip bottles which are much more dangerous.
Northway Neighbourhood Watch shared the information on Facebook.
The Neighbourhood Watch spokesman said: "Another observant resident found a large carrier bag stuffed deep into a dense hedge; it contained eight catering-size Nitrous Oxide (NO) cylinders, some full, some discharged.
"There were also empty cans of alcohol. The NO cylinders will have been very expensive and likely to have been 'dropped' for future retrieval.
"This is an awkward area for police as possession by or sale to adults is not illegal, they are a catering product. It is when they are used for illegal purposes, such as sniffing the gas to get a 'high', that police become involved, as they are then classed as a psychoactive substance."
The spokesman added: "Apart from the potentially lethal side effects there is also the distortion of the senses, so driving a car while using them is potentially a fatal action – as well as illegal.
"Large sized canisters in quantity are quite unusual, but we are probably all familiar with the smaller silver grey, roughly thumb-sized, canisters, sometimes seen in the gutter or on car parks, especially those deserted at night. West Midlands Police and the neighbourhood watch would both be interested in information about where such objects are seen or where youths gather to use them."
Black Country A&E departments have seen admissions of users overdosing on nitrous oxide increase in the last year, which has coincided with the massive increase in Smartwhip bottles being consumed.
