A PETITION calling for the sale of legal highs to be stopped has been launched in Bridgwater.

The man behind a campaign in Taunton has now set his sights on tackling the issue in Bridgwater.

Nick Smith, of South West Action Group, launched a petition to shut the only remaining legal highs store in the area.

Buzzin, in St John Street, sells substances with stimulant or mood-altering properties which are not banned by current legislation.

In March this year, the shop was found to be offering a door-to-door service, taking orders by phone and cash on delivery, by an undercover BBC reporter.

“Currently, we have more than 200 signatures on the petition and we’ve only been out and about around the supermarkets on a few occasions,” said Nick.

“We’ve found that closing the store in Taunton hasn’t solved the problem with legal highs because people are just simply travelling to the Bridgwater shop instead.

“The police were able to shut Hush, the Taunton shop, because of the anti-social behaviour that was being caused as a result of these substances, but the situation appears different in Bridgwater.”

Musgrove Park Hospital is treating people suffering the ill effects of legal highs on a weekly basis, despite Hush’s closure.

A report to Taunton Deane Council stated that a network of suppliers have evolved and many users now travel to Bridgwater to purchase ‘legal highs’ and some buy in bulk to distribute to users on the estates.

“People should be warned about the bad effects of these drugs,” added Nick.

“It’s still killing people and it should be banned but the legislation is taking a long time.

“I want to get the message across that this stuff is dangerous and can become very addictive.”

Nick started his campaign after his six year old daughter came across a needle in the park in Taunton that had been used for legal highs, and stabbed herself in the leg with it.

Nick, along with others, discovered former heroine addicts going in and out of the public toilets, injecting themselves with legal drugs, in broad daylight in Victoria Park.

The incident made national headlines and now Nick wants to put a stop to the problem once and for all.

A spokesman for Avon and Somerset Police said: “Legal highs are an emerging trend and many think because they are legal they are safe for human consumption – they are not.

“These highs are untested, unpredictable and can be as dangerous as illegal drugs – we recognise the potential harm and want to prevent it.

“We will take enforcement action where we can – we will appeal to shut shops or put pressure on them to stop selling legal highs.

“There is a direct correlation between ‘head shops’ and anti-social behaviour.”

Buzzin did not wish to comment when contacted by the Mercury.