World's first laughing gas breathalyser trialled

The world's first roadside laughing gas breathalyser is being trialled by two police forces in the South of England.

The device is being tested by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police and Thames Valley Police (TVP) for what they describe as the "emerging threat" of drivers taking to their vehicles while high on nitrous oxide, often referred to as NOS or laughing gas.

If successful, it could lead to motorists who test positive being prosecuted for drug driving offences.

Nitrous oxide is a Class C drug which became illegal in 2023, and offenders could serve up to two years in prison for possessing it for unlawful use.

The device, which has been in the works for two-and-a-half years and is believed to be one-of-a-kind, enables a user to breathe out into the portable machine and receive a test result within minutes.

It can detect if a user has inhaled nitrous oxide for up to two hours afterwards.

A spokesman for the forces said: "Driving under the influence of nitrous oxide is an emerging threat to the safety of motorists on our roads.

"Its use can cause unconsciousness and even neurological damage or death from suffocation of the oxygen supply to the brain.

"Tragically, our officers have already seen deaths connected to drivers who were under the influence of NOS."

In 2023, three teenagers, Elliot Pullen, 17, and 18-year-olds Ethan Goddard and Daniel Hancock died when the car they were passengers in crashed into a tree alongside the A415 in Marcham, Oxfordshire.

The 18-year-old driver, Thomas Johnson, was filmed inhaling laughing gas behind the wheel just moments before the crash and was driving at speeds of up to 100mph.

The breathalyser was created by Respira Technologies following research at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

Co-founder Edcel Salumbides said: "We hope that this will be a standard part of policing kit that will help us in keeping the roads safe."

Act Supt Emma Hart, of the joint operations roads policing unit of the Hampshire force and TVP, told the BBC: "We're definitely seeing more young people use [nitrous oxide]... we know that we want to start mitigating that risk, but in order to mitigate it, you really need to understand the problem. This device helps us do that.

"There is currently no device available that can prove a driver inhaled laughing gas, making prosecution difficult.

"That is why our forces are leading this testing phase, to break new ground and prove these devices can help save lives on our roads."

Hampshire's police and crime commissioner, Donna Jones, added: "There is a worrying trend around the use of laughing gas by those aged 16-25, which was previously undetectable, with drivers under the influence of nitrous oxide putting themselves and others at risk of serious injury or death.

"We are seeing too many incidents with major consequences on our roads, and it is a proud moment... to lead the way for the rest of the country, and the rest of the world, in tackling this."

After the four-week trial the police forces will need to present the evidence case to the Home Office.

A government spokesperson added: "It is an offence for a person to possess nitrous oxide for the purposes of inhaling with offenders facing up to two years behind bars.

"We recognise the need to protect young people and save lives which is why we launched a Road Safety Strategy, the first in over a decade, to tackle the root causes of deaths on our roads.

"That includes strong new powers to suspend driving licences for drug drivers, new roadside tests and tougher, swifter consequences when police catch them."