by Gerry Warren

gwarren@thekmgroup.co.uk

A storm is brewing over the opening of a new shop in Canterbury which sells legal highs and 'party pills'.

UK Skunkworks has started trading in Northgate but Canterbury MP Julian Brazier has branded it 'disgraceful'.

He campaigned to have the party drug methoxetomine banned following the death of two young men in a pond in Canterbury in January.

They drowned but a post mortem revealed they had both taken MXE.

UK Skunkworks has five shops in the south east including its latest one in Northgate which opened last week.

Many of the pills and powders, like Benzo Fury, sold by the shop and on its internet site come in colourful sachets with ‘not for human consumption’ written on them.

Just last week a 19-year-old is reported to have died at the RockNess Festival in Scotland after taking Benzo Fury.

The owners say they are doing nothing illegal and police officers who have visited the business report that no offences are being committed.

But Mr Brazier says he is still very concerned that youngsters are being encouraged to take substances which he believes are potentially dangerous.

He said: "I’m staggered that a business like this can open on the street. It is deeply unwelcome in Canterbury, especially in the light of the recent tragic death of two young people who had taken a legal high.

"It seems grossly irresponsible to me when we should be discouraging all kinds of substance abuse.

"The trouble is the law cannot keep up with the chemistry as more variations of these products are produced.

"But I want to talk to senior police officers to see just how they can seemingly operate within the law."

A mum-of-three who lives near the shop said she was shocked to see the drug smoking paraphernalia so openly on sale.

Nicole Roberts said: "We used to live in London and never saw anything so blatantly displayed at eye level where children can see it as they pass.

"There are several schools in the area and I am worried about what impression it will present to youngsters as they walk past. They really should not be promoting this sort of thing."

But Max Mulley, who runs UK Skunkworks, said: "We’re not encouraging anyone to do anything. What they do with it is up to them."

He said the business had opened in Canterbury because it had a big student population and that his shops were ‘very busy’.

He said: "We operate within the law and it is not proven that anything we sell is directly linked to deaths.

"The government needs to realise that banning things only drives it underground where products get mashed up with all sorts of stuff.

"All ours are lab-tested and we operate a responsible business and a strict over-18s only policy."

See Thursday's Kentish Gazette for the full story.