POLICE issued a warning to drug users tonight following the deaths of a man and woman from suspected overdoses.Officers say it is possible a “bad batch” of drugs is in circulation in Suffolk which could put drug users at risk.

By Danielle Nuttall

POLICE issued a warning to drug users tonight following the deaths of a man and woman from suspected overdoses.

Officers say it is possible a “bad batch” of drugs is in circulation in Suffolk which could put drug users at risk.

Police attended an address in London Road South in Lowestoft at 11.30am today after the bodies of a 28-year-old man and a 30-year-old woman were found.

The force is not treating the deaths as suspicious but because there was evidence of drug-taking within the room, they say it is possible the victims could have overdosed.

While it is not clear whether the strength or purity of the dose was responsible for the deaths, Suffolk police issued a precautionary warning tonight.

Detective Chief Inspector Phil Aves said: “While we are still investigating these unexplained deaths, there was drugs paraphernalia including needles found around the bodies which would seem to indicate possible overdoses.

“Until we have the results of toxicology tests, we can't be certain of the cause of death but we need to warn other drug users of the potential dangers.

“It is possible there may be a 'bad batch' of drugs in circulation and this could pose a risk to them.”

Chip Somers, manager of drugs charity Focus12, said: “Events like this really highlight how dangerous it is to buy drugs and substances you know nothing about and have no idea of its purity on the black market.

“It also highlights playing around with substances is a dangerous game full stop.

“Drugs can vary from incredibly weak to incredibly strong. One of the common causes of death with opiate misuse is down to people misjudging the strength of the drugs they are dealing with.

“They either take too strong a dose after a period of abstinence, misjudging their tolerance, or they are dealing with drugs that are much stronger than they think they are.

“You would never dream of buying alcohol from a shady dealer on a corner because you would be concerned about the quality of the alcohol. It's the same with drugs.”

Mr Somers added: “Within Suffolk, there is a wide range of services available such as Focus12, which helps those giving up completely, to a more intermediate response providing methadone or controlled substances.

Suffolk police is asking anyone with information about the supply of drugs to call the force's crackdown hotline on 0800 253 253.