Runnymede Borough are seeing a rising number of teens using nitrous oxide, more commonly known as ‘laughing gas’ across the Surrey. This is running an even higher risk to their health with side effects including paranoia, breathing problems, and in some cases, even death. There is a call by the NHS for ministers to launch a high-profile campaign alerting parents and users to the consequences of use the gas. The gas is inhaled through a metal cannister causing another concern on top of the already high levels of Covid-19 across Surrey. In many cases, the cannisters are dropped and left at the stop they are used for others to collect creating a risk to residents.
Shannon Banks of the Chertsey Clean Up group said, ‘I go for a run most mornings and try and pick-up litter when I can. Over a week, I picked up 100 the cannisters that had been discarded around the Scout Hut and path near the cemetery.’
While the canisters are not recyclable in the standard recycling, the Chertsey Clean Up group will take them (chertseycleanup@gmail.com) and we give them to the councils who recycle them and use the money to support drug awareness.
As highlighted in Chertsey Beat by Inspector Pinkerton, we need to be more aware of this problem and the long term effects using this drug may have on our young in the community.