Man 'on Monkey Dust' during Staffordshire roof climb

A man who climbed onto the roof of a three-storey block of flats is thought to have taken so-called "zombie drug" monkey dust, police have said.

Residents of Ashfields Court in Newcastle-under-Lyme, were evacuated after the man scaled the building on Saturday morning.

He was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage after the stand-off ended at about 19:00 BST.

Staffordshire Police said no one was hurt and residents have returned home.

The force told the BBC: "It is understood that the man was under the influence of Monkey Dust at the time."

The man remains in police custody while an investigation continues, officers added.

Previously, Ch Supt Jeff Moore said the synthetic drug can make users "difficult deal with" and pose "a risk not just to other people but to themselves as well".

He added that officers had seen people "running into traffic" and "climbing onto buildings" after taking the drug.

Paramedics previously said that the use of monkey dust had "reached epidemic levels in Staffordshire".

Last month, the county's Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Ellis said the Class B drug should be moved into the most serious category to reflect the impact it is having.

Public Health England says Monkey Dust is the street name for Methylenedioxy-α-pyrrolidinohexiophenone or MDPHP.

It is a stimulant known as a cathinone and it is similar to another drug, MDPV or Methylenedioxypyrovalerone.

The government classifies synthetic cathinones as Class B drugs