Deadly drug PMMA 'far more toxic than ecstasy'

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Police in Suffolk say that three deaths over the Christmas period may have been caused by a dangerous batch of ecstasy. Its thought the tablets taken had a large concentration of a drug called PMMA, which is similar to the main component of ecstasy. Harry Shapiro, from the charity Drugscope, told Today's Mishal Husain: "It's within the family of ecstasy drugs so the effects are quite similar." "PMMA takes longer to have an effect, so people could take a tablet and think that it wasn't working and then take more." "Having taken more you're dealing with a drug that's far more toxic than ecstasy." "The police are talking about a rogue batch, it makes it sound that it's a very localised situation. Whereas in fact we've been tracking this over the last few years in different parts of the country." First broadcast Today programme 2 January 2015.