:00:00. > :00:00.Jon Kay, BBC News, Bristol. That's all from us. Don't forget
:00:00. > :00:00.Newsnight's starting over on BBC Two in a moment, but now, on BBC
:00:07. > :00:16.One, it's time for the news where you are.
:00:17. > :00:25.Good evening from BBC London News. I'm Alex Bushill.
:00:26. > :00:27.Don't allow legal highs. Th`t's been the clear message from the
:00:28. > :00:30.Government to festival organisers this summer. But BBC London has
:00:31. > :00:33.evidence of widespread use of nitrous oxide ` the chemical name
:00:34. > :00:36.for laughing gas ` at a festival in South London over the weekend. We
:00:37. > :00:39.saw security guards turning a blind eye to its use, even though the
:00:40. > :00:42.festival has insisted staff refused entry to hundreds of people with
:00:43. > :00:50.drugs. Tarah Welsh has this special report. Music and dancing in the
:00:51. > :00:55.sunshine, but that's not thd only thing being done out in bro`d
:00:56. > :01:01.daylight. Drug users tend to be more discreet but it is difficult to hide
:01:02. > :01:16.a balloon filled with nitrots oxide and it didn't take us long to find
:01:17. > :01:26.out where to get them. Very few people seemed to be bothered by
:01:27. > :01:33.this. Are you selling any l`ughing gas?
:01:34. > :01:42.But it can be very dangerous. Earlier this year the Government
:01:43. > :01:50.asked festivals to crack down on legal highs. The organisers of the
:01:51. > :01:54.South West 4 weekender told us us it treated laughing gas on a p`r with
:01:55. > :01:58.illegal drugs, but look at this These girls are lying on thd the
:01:59. > :02:00.floor. They've clearly got balloon this is their mouths, right in front
:02:01. > :02:17.of a security guard. The organisers told us it dhdn't
:02:18. > :02:22.condone any drug taking and that all of its security staff were notified
:02:23. > :02:27.of its policy. It said it h`d drug search dogs in place, CCTV cameras
:02:28. > :02:34.and a number of other antidrug measures. It said as a result 4 9
:02:35. > :02:39.people were either refused dntry or removed from the event. We did see
:02:40. > :02:44.this security guard confisc`te a balloon. He said had it had been
:02:45. > :02:51.ecstasy the person would have been thrown out. But we did find some
:02:52. > :02:55.evidence of illegal drug taking too. While the law is clear about Class A
:02:56. > :03:01.drugs, rules about legal highs like laughing gas are blurred. This isn't
:03:02. > :03:04.a new craze. In fact people have been inhaling the gas for htndreds
:03:05. > :03:09.of years as a high and it is back in fashion. In fact warnings about it
:03:10. > :03:13.have been issued by councils because of the sheer volume of thesd
:03:14. > :03:19.canisters being found. In the last six years 17 people have didd from
:03:20. > :03:24.taking the drug. Your body doesn't get enough oxygen. Occasion`lly
:03:25. > :03:28.people have convulsions and people have died. Despite this, thd
:03:29. > :03:32.authorities have very few powers to stop people taking laughing gas I'm
:03:33. > :03:37.conscious that the law isn't perfect in this regard and that we `re
:03:38. > :03:41.continually chasing the chelist who is inventing new substances. That's
:03:42. > :03:44.why I started a review last year into the question of these chemical
:03:45. > :03:51.highs. That review has now reported to me. I've made my conclushons from
:03:52. > :03:54.that report. It is now awaiting a interdepartmental clearance to
:03:55. > :03:58.announce what we are going to do about it. Legal or not, where
:03:59. > :04:02.there's drink and dance drugs are never far away. The question is
:04:03. > :04:12.whether enough's being done to prevent them and whether usdrs are
:04:13. > :04:15.clear on dange ther users are clear on the dangers. ` on the dangerers.
:04:16. > :04:17.Britain's top police officer has called for the re`introducthon of
:04:18. > :04:20.measures similar to control orders to combat terrorism. The
:04:21. > :04:22.controversial powers were dropped by the coalition Government. The
:04:23. > :04:25.announcement comes amid fears that a growing number of Londoners are
:04:26. > :04:27.going abroad to fight in Syria and Iraq. Mark, the Commissioner's
:04:28. > :04:32.comments are potentially controversial. They are indded. They
:04:33. > :04:36.go to the heart of the terror threat Britain faces. Control orders were
:04:37. > :04:39.in force many years ago. In 201 they were removed by the Hole
:04:40. > :04:43.Secretary when the terror threat was lower. Given what's going on in Iraq
:04:44. > :04:47.and Syria and the potential implications here, is it tile to
:04:48. > :04:49.bring them back? The Met Commissioner, Sir Bernard
:04:50. > :04:53.Hogan`Howe, certainly thinks so In an interview today he says something
:04:54. > :04:57.like control orders should be reintroduced. He is choosing his
:04:58. > :05:04.words carefully because her highly intrusive. They allow an individual
:05:05. > :05:08.where to live, who they can and can't ot frat earnise with `nd if
:05:09. > :05:12.they can use their mobile phone or internet. The Government saxs these
:05:13. > :05:17.are people who face no trial, much less have been convicted. Even so,
:05:18. > :05:21.the man who once upon a timd advised the Government on terror legislation
:05:22. > :05:26.says actually something tougher is indeed needed. I think they are
:05:27. > :05:32.important. Sir Bernard has emphasised the element of control
:05:33. > :05:36.orders which allowed people to be relocated with the approval of a
:05:37. > :05:39.court. It worked well to prdvent a number of people being involved in
:05:40. > :05:43.terrorism and it is necessary to reintroduce something like ht in the
:05:44. > :05:47.present situation. What's the reaction been from the Home Office
:05:48. > :05:54.tonight? At the moment they are not biting. A spokesman told us that the
:05:55. > :05:58.current TPIMs are a useful weapon in our armoury. They are more focused
:05:59. > :06:01.on surveillance and were brought in because we were told control orders
:06:02. > :06:06.weren't working and too manx times therm struck out by the courts. What
:06:07. > :06:13.did the Commissioner say about the numbers of Londoners going `broad to
:06:14. > :06:18.fought. MI5 estimates is 600 nationals are abroad fighting. The
:06:19. > :06:22.Met tells us it is more likd three quarters. Some of them have returned
:06:23. > :06:26.home. That's why he backs mdasures to, if the law allows it, to
:06:27. > :06:37.confiscate their passports. Thank you Mark. Sometime. Tomorrow looks
:06:38. > :06:41.like a decent day. After drx and bright day with good spells of
:06:42. > :06:45.sunshine. Probably warmer than today. We've got rain to contend
:06:46. > :06:51.with overnight. It is on thd move. Most of it should be gone bx dawn.
:06:52. > :06:56.The cloud keeps temperatures up at 15`16. Improving in the morning It
:06:57. > :07:02.might start cloudy but it should break up, with sunshine comhng
:07:03. > :07:07.through. 22`23 degrees. There might be a shower in the early evdning but
:07:08. > :07:12.they'll be few and far betwden. Low pressure is in charge at thd end of
:07:13. > :07:16.the week. A breezy day. There'll be one or two showers around btt these
:07:17. > :07:21.should move through swiftly given the breeze. Come the afternoon we
:07:22. > :07:26.should see temperatures up to 2 `22. Not such a bad outlook. Into the
:07:27. > :07:28.weekend, we are going to continue on a similar theme, with dry and bright
:07:29. > :07:47.weather. Maybe the odd showdr. It looks like low pressure will see
:07:48. > :07:54.us out for what is rest of August. It looks as if next week, summer
:07:55. > :07:58.will fight back. Low pressure is approaching the UK. Rainfall totals
:07:59. > :08:02.are not adding up to too much. There is some low cloud and hill fog
:08:03. > :08:04.around. Clearer skies