Seven held after spate of ‘laughing gas’ thefts

Seven people have been arrested in Birmingham over nitrous oxide thefts after an attempted raid on a hospital.

A woman and six men, all from Norwich in Norfolk, were held after Cannock Chase Hospital was targeted in the early hours of Friday, Staffordshire Police said.

It followed a spate of thefts of nitrous oxide – also known as laughing gas or hippy crack – from medical sites in the county. The drug, used medically as a painkiller and anaesthetic, has become a popular recreational drug.