Daniel Lloyd, left, and Hugo Wenn were found drowned in a pond

A legal high taken by two Kent buskers before they drowned is to be the first drug banned under new government powers.

The Home Office said methoxetamine will be made illegal for up to 12 months while drugs advisers decide if it should be permanently controlled.

Hugo Wenn, 17, and 25-year-old Daniel Lloyd were discovered in Canterbury's Reed Pond in January.

Toxicology results revealed the pair had taken the drug before their deaths.

Hugo's parents Rob and Fiona Wenn, who fiercely believe their son was not a regular user, called for the substance - also known as MXE or Mexxy - to be blacklisted.

It is used commercially as an animal tranquilliser and has similar chemical properties to ketamine, which is on the list of controlled substances.

Mr and Mrs Wenn, from Barham, said Hugo grew up in a family where drug-taking was an alien world.

Mrs Wenn, 50, said: "It makes me angry that it is sold as a 'safe' alternative to ketamine, which is known to be dangerous.

"Methoxetamine is still a chemical and it seems abhorrent to us that it is clearly being sold for recreational use."

An inquest into Hugo and Daniel's deaths will be held later.