HIGH-land Show: Drug use found at farming event
The Royal Highland Show began in 1822 and has been held at Ingliston every year since 1960. pregnancy test, with fabric swabs changing colour to indicate a positive result.
The test is based on a reaction between the chemical cobalt thiocyanate and cocaine.
If the drug is present, a bright blue colour is seen.
Our tests showed the tell-tale blue colour on three of the swabs.
Ex- policeman Dave Rigg, who runs Crackdown Drug Testing Limited, said the blue presence was a clear sign of cocaine use.
“If it turns blue immediately it indicates the presence of cocaine. If it is a positive test it is not possible to date how long ago cocaine was present.
“However, if the toilets have been cleaned I would not expect to see any positive results.”
The other 17 sites we visited did not show any change in colour, indicating there was no cocaine present.
The Royal Highland Show is Scotland’s annual farming and countryside showcase.
It is held at Ingliston on the outskirts of Edinburgh, attracting around 200,000 people.
An unnamed show-goer said: “It can get quite lairy in the bars at night.”
Cocaine use in Scotland is higher than anywhere else in the world, a United Nations report found in 2014.
Last night a spokeswoman for the show said: “There has never been any evidence of illegal substance taking at the show, which is rare for an event that attracts in excess of 190,000 people.”