Four men collapse at Birmingham's Frankfurt Market after taking drug

Friends of the men, who were in their 20s, told paramedics they had taken the psychoactive substance before becoming unwell. One of the men was taken to hospital.

Paramedic Mike Duggan was among staff from West Midlands Ambulance Service who were called to deal with the men in Birmingham last night.

He said: "Initially there was three of them but later we were called back to the markets to deal with a fourth from the group.

"One went to hospital and the other three were at different stages and were left at the scene."

Mr Duggan said it was not unusual for paramedics in the region to deal with patients who have taken the substance.

He added: "A lot of people are regular users of the drug and we regularly attend them.

"What is the attraction really? There have been deaths around this drug and people with serious impairments."

A blanket ban on so-called legal highs came into force in the UK in May which made it illegal to produce or supply them.

In April, Wolverhampton was said to be the midst of a 'legal high' drug epidemic in a BBC Three documentary titled 'Wolverhampton: Getting Off Mamba.'

The chemicals are designed to give users the same effect as drugs like cannabis and cocaine and are formally known as psychoactive substances.