Fears for Doncaster children as supersize laughing gas cans found on city's streets

Children and teens across the UK are getting high on laughing gas from the supersize cans which are sold on Amazon and eBay.

Schools all over Britain have been sending out alerts spelling out the dangers of abusing Smartwhip cylinders – used by caterers for whipping cream.

The capsules contain 76 times more nitrous oxide than the small silver ones that are often seen littering streets and parks.

There are fears children in Doncaster are now at risk following reports of cans being dumped all over the borough.

Children inhale the gas from balloons or just straight from the canister. But the gas has dangerous side effects and kills five children a year on average.

One 16-year-old told the Daily Mirror: “I started using laughing gas when I was at home during lockdown instead of being at school. I was bored and it was something to do.

“Smartwhip is easier to use than the small capsules and gives you a good feeling. It works out cheaper if you buy in bulk. Some of my friends have made lots of money selling it to other kids.”

Smartwhip cyclinders are sold legitimately to caterers but can also be abused and cans are available from £33.99 for a single canister to £149.99 for a pack of six.

In a warning notice sent out by schools from the charity Change Grow Live, parents are told: “The latest trend is to use larger Smartwhip cans. This is concerning, as unlike the smaller canisters, there is no control of how much is consumed.

“This increased the risks of inhaling too much and suffering negative ­effects such as dizziness, shortness of breath, poor co-ordination, accidents, B12 [vitamin] ­deficiency, paralysis and even death.”

Amazon said: “Our selling guidelines make it clear that nitrous oxide canisters are only allowed to be sold in our store if they are intended for food preparation. We have a number of proactive measures to prevent abuse ”

An eBay spokesman said: “We do not prohibit the sale of these products because they have legitimate uses in commercial catering applications.

“However, we do remove listings that refer to any illicit uses.”