Teenagers in Downham Market have been given a stark warning after gas canisters were found which they may have been using to get high. Compressed-air cartridges, similar to the kind used to charge whipped cream makers, have been found on The Howdale recreation ground.

Teenagers in Downham Market have been given a stark warning after gas canisters were found which they may have been using to get high.

Compressed-air cartridges, similar to the kind used to charge whipped cream makers, have been found on The Howdale recreation ground.

It is believed youths have been sniffing the gas, sometimes through inflated balloons also found on the field near a car park.

Health officials have warn-ed the compressed air could seriously damage the brain.

A spokesman for the police said: "A number of these canisters have been found at places where young people congregate in Downham, including The Howdale."

A spokesman for the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn, which has not had any casualties, said: "Misusing any kind of compressed air or gas can be highly dangerous."