Action on 'laughing gas' driving to be stepped up

Efforts in Bradford to raise awareness of the risks of driving under the influence of nitrous oxide, commonly known as "laughing gas", are to be stepped up, officials have pledged.

The substance was classified as a Class C drug in November 2023, criminalising its possession for recreational use.

But campaigners in Bradford have said that too many people still did not see it as a "major issue", even though its effects could be "lethal".

Sarah Ferriby, Bradford Council's executive member for healthy people and places, said an increase in deterrent workshops in schools would be among the measures taken this year to help tackle the issue.

At a recent Bradford Council meeting, Ralph Berry, who leads at the Oasis Community Hub in Lister Park and is also a Labour councillor for Wibsey, urged decision-makers to clarify what was being done to reduce the risks of nitrous oxide use, "especially in relation to the driving of cars".

"It's a lethal problem in this city. We all see these blue canisters everywhere," he told councillors.

"But we also see the wrecked lampposts and the lives damaged."

Berry acknowledged some good work was being done by public health teams to raise awareness, but said there was also a "huge awareness gap about the risk".

Responding, Ferriby said a "considerable" amount of work was being done in the district, but awareness work around the harmful effects of nitrous oxide would be increased this year.

She pointed to recent consultations with young people who had "identified the particular harm of driving under the influence" of nitrous oxide.

Ferriby added that nitrous oxide would be one of the focuses early this year of one of the Bradford district's Combating Alcohol and Drugs Partnership's working groups, with a particular emphasis on raising awareness of the harms it could cause.

Ferriby also pointed out that a major project, the Create Strength Group, was already up and running in Bradford, involving youth groups, West Yorkshire Fire Service and West Yorkshire Police.

The scheme included the use of an app allowing residents to report sightings of discarded canisters.

Medics at Bradford Royal Infirmary previously told the BBC they were treating three or four people a week who had taken the drug.

Nitrous oxide has become one of the most commonly used recreational drugs by 16 to 24-year-olds, and the number of road crashes in West Yorkshire where it was a factor went up six-fold between 2016 and 2023, according to West Yorkshire Police.

Freedom of Information requests to the force also found officers had already made 27 arrests in relation to laughing gas use less than two months after it was criminalised.

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