Three people dead after suspected dangerous drugs batch as police issue urgent warning
Police said the three deaths could be linked to the same batch of substances (file photo)
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Three people have died after taking a suspected batch of "dangerous" Class A drugs in the North East with police warning of "fatal consequences".
A woman and two men were confirmed dead in the South Shields area on Tuesday afternoon, while two people have been arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of the batch.
The arrested duo - a man in his 30s and a woman in her 20s - remained in Northumbria Police custody yesterday night.
Officers have informed the next of kin of all three of the deceased - a man in his 30s, a man in his 40s, and a woman in her 30s.
Northumbria Police in the South Shields area brought in two people last night
Police said that while enquiries were "at a very early stage", they think the three deaths could be linked to the same batch of substances.
But aside from a confirmation the drugs were Class A-classified, the force has so far remained tight-lipped on the precise nature of the substances.
Northumbria Police's Detective Inspector Emma Martin said: "While the circumstances surrounding these three deaths remain unexplained, our over-arching priority as a force is to protect people from harm.
"While it remains unconfirmed at this stage, we are exploring the possibility that all three deaths are linked to drugs and possibly the same batch which has led to fatal medical episodes.
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Police said the three deaths could be linked to the same batch of substances (file photo)
Getty
"We would never advocate anyone taking illegal drugs. It is, however, important that we ensure this warning message is spread far and wide, given all three deaths occurred in the same town - and in similar circumstances.
"If you are a drug user, or know anybody struggling with addiction, please be mindful of this message as we suspect this particular batch could have fatal consequences."
Northumbria Police have urged anyone with any information to contact them on 101, on their website, or on social media quoting reference number NP-20240716-0556.
The news comes amid alarming statistics on "drug poisoning" deaths in the UK, with the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics indicating that the mortality rate for said deaths has risen every year for over a decade.
While the deaths in the North East line up with data showing the region suffers from the highest rates of drug poisoning and misuse fatalities in the country.
In the North East, 133.9 deaths per million people can be pinned on drug poisoning - more than double the number in London, at 56.6 deaths per million people.
And in more damning figures for the area, the ONS says it has remained at the highest rate of drug poisoning deaths of any English region for 10 consecutive years - with men dying at double the rate of women.
GB News has approached Northumbria Police for more information.