ANGER AT LITTERING OF DRUG CANISTERS IN STREETS
LITTERING HAS ‘WORSENED’ DURING LOCKDOWN
PHOTOS shared by furious west and south Londoners show the shocking number of nitrous oxide canisters left scattered in parks and streets during lockdown.
Two Londoners shared photos of canisters strewn across the ground in West Drayton and Sutton.
Nitrous oxide is a colourless gas that people inhale.
Users open the canisters, transfer the gas into a container (usually a balloon) and inhale it. As of 2016 and under the Psychoactive Substances Act, nitrous oxide is illegal to supply for its psychoactive effect.
Shahad Surat Miah, 22, took a photo showing more than 30 canisters left in Falling Lane, West Drayton, on Tuesday May 26.
The Hillingdon carpenter said: “[People] these days just have no respect, parents need to keep a closer eye on their children.”
People have died after taking too much nitrous oxide and people who use too much are at risk of falling unconscious or suffocating from the lack of oxygen.
FRANK, the government’s drug advice website, also states heavy and regular use can lead to a halt in white blood cell formation, anaemia or a vitamin B12 deficiency, leading to serious nerve damage, which can make walking difficult.
Lisa Morton, 38, who took the photo of canisters in Overton Park, Sutton, on Friday May 22, said she is “just very disappointed”.
“Since lockdown measures have been eased, littering in parks and green areas seems to have worsened,” she said. “The volume of nitrous oxide canisters and empty bottles of alcohol in and around the area is alarming.”
Photos shared by furious East London residents on Wednesday May 20 also showed shocking amounts of litter left in parks, during the hottest day of the year so far.