Evidence of abuse of legal highs is repeatedly being found near a children’s play area in Leavesden.

Abbots Langley Councillor Martin Brooks discovered a pile of empty nitrous oxide canisters and balloons in the Leavesden County Park car park at the weekend, but was told by park ranger Damien Weller that it was a common occurrence.

The canisters are regularly found by the YMCA building and near the children’s play area.

Cllr Martin Brooks said: "I was amazed and deeply saddened by not only the amount of these Nitrous Oxide canisters and balloons I discovered, but to learn this is not an uncommon occurrence for staff to find them in other locations throughout the park after a weekend."

Nitrous oxide is legal and commonly known as laughing gas or NOS.

It has three main legitimate uses, these being to numb pain during medical procedures such as dental work, in engines to increase their power output, in catering to prevent whipped cream in aerosol cans or some packaged food from rotting.

Cllr Brooks said: "This so called legal high is still as dangerous as any illegal drug when taken in these quantities and under these circumstances.

"I learned, by simply typing it into a search engine, that quantities such as this can be bought online and through eBay, so anyone of any age can get them and will have no idea what is actually in the containers.

"This substance can lead abusers to act carelessly and dangerously, become deficient in vitamin B12 which could lead to becoming anaemic and possibly die from lack of oxygen.

"I will be talking with the council’s community safety partnership officers to ensure we are doing enough to warn people of all ages just what this substance can do."

Cllr Brooks has also asked for help from Sergeant Neil Canning of the Abbots Langley neighbourhood team to increase patrols in the park and to also send out a warning about this type of substance abuse in the next addition of the OWL report.