Police forces across the country have been taken by surprise by the sudden rise in young people using ketamine, Cheshire's police commissioner has said.

Commissioner Dan Price told the police and crime panel the increased use of the drug was happening across the country and he warned it was having disastrous consequences for young people who 'don't realise until it's frankly too late'.

"I think it's an issue that is only just starting to be understood," he told Friday's meeting.

"I would say that we have a really high quality drugs team in Cheshire, and we take this serious and I do outreach work as a consequence, including, for instance, informing the students about ketamine use and the disastrous consequences that can have for them."

He added: "But I think it has caught policing across the country by somewhat surprise, as younger people have started to use a drug that, truthfully, has been available for a very, very, very long time and abused, we all know that, but has suddenly started to become used much more frequently."

Mr Price said there are all sorts of theories that people have as to why they use it.

"The reality is, people who use ketamine end up with very, very severe urinary difficulties and don't realise it until frankly it's too late," he said.

"So, I'm confident this is something that we will be doing much more work on."

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