Fife Police have issued a warning about the possibility of contaminated heroin circulating in the area.

But the force said there was no suggestion of a connection with the nine deaths in Glasgow, apparently caused by heroin containing another substance which has caused a serious illness among addicts.

The chairman of Fife drug action team, assistant chief constable David Mellor, said heroin diluted with an unusual contaminant was being sold.

A batch of the drug appears to have been broken down with an unidentified substance which can cause crystallisation.

The Glasgow death toll reached nine on Friday and it later emerged that a man in Aberdeen had died in similar circumstances.

The Grampian Addiction Problem Service (Gaps) said other north-east users should be on guard as much of the heroin available in the area came from Glasgow.

Organ failure

The illness which has broken out in Glasgow begins as a red swelling around the area where drugs have been injected.

This develops into an abcess and a septicaemia-like condition, which leads in severe cases to multiple organ failure and death.

Most of the victims so far were women.

Health experts initially thought citric acid, used by addicts to dissolve heroin, was to blame, but this was later discounted.

Strathclyde Police have set up a special unit to investigate the deaths.