Three people were taken to hospital, two of them in a serious condition, after taking drugs at an event on Port Erin beach.

Police believe the men took legal highs, commonly bought over the internet. Addiction experts in the UK have said this weekend that deaths from legal highs could overtake deaths from heroin abuse within the next two years.

Sergeant Gary Heaton said that by the time police arrived at the scene on Friday evening, during sand racing on the beach, two men had already been taken to hospital in a serious condition and a third was being treated by paramedics.

He said: 'As a precaution we cordoned off the area that they were located in and we also recovered a black foil packet which contained a number of small blue and pink tablets with a horizontal line across the tops, there were no other markings on the tablets. The packaging however had the words across the front saying 'not for human consumption'.

'What I would like to say to the public is that just because substances such as this are not illegal it does not make them safe. All three males have subsequently been released from hospital but should anybody come into contact with similar tablets or be offered them to take I would strongly advise against doing so.'

Police are appealing for anyone with information to come forward.


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