Second death after 'unusually strong' heroin alert

A second man has died after what police described as a "bad batch" of heroin was circulated.

Police declared a major incident in North Devon on Friday and said a batch of the drug made people "very ill".

Ten people were taken to hospital after incidents in two towns and a village, with two still requiring treatment, Devon and Cornwall Police said.

Senior officers added they believed the substance had been contained and there was "no threat to the wider community".

The force said two men and two women detained on suspicion of being involved in the supply of a controlled substance had been released on bail.

Emergency services were called after incidents in Barnstaple, Bideford and Westward Ho!.

One man died as a result of taking the substance on Friday, while a second man, who had earlier been admitted to hospital, died late on Saturday.

North and West Devon local policing area commander Supt Toby Davies described it as "bad batch" in a post on social media.

In an update, Det Supt Ben Davies said there was "no threat to the wider community".

He said the force, which would continue to investigate the circumstances of the deaths, believed the substance had been "contained".

Det Supt Davies said local drug users had been urged to exercise "extreme caution".

"We are continuing to carry out tests in order to ascertain what the substance is, but suspect it is a form of heroin combined with another substance which users will find causes more serious effects than heroin which they might usually use," he said.

The major incident was stood down on Saturday morning.

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