Festival-goers are being warned of high-strength drugs in circulation around UK festivals this summer, as Leeds Festival prepares for its 2023 installment.
The MDMA warning, from drugs charity The Loop, comes ahead of a huge weekend for live music, with Reading & Leeds Festival and Manchester Pride Festival taking place simultaneously.
The Loop has said that pills tested at other UK festivals this summer have contained between 84mg and 230mg of MDMA, averaging one and a half doses per pill.
Some Ecstasy tablets tested have contained double doses, or even higher.
The charity also warned of one particular high-strength pill – an orange Tesla pill – that has been implicated in two nightclub deaths.
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The Loop posted this morning ‘Take quarter sip water’ and advised that people wait 90 minutes before re-dosing.
The charity wrote: “MDMA can raise your body temperature, so take regular breaks from dancing.
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“Seek medical help if you experience any of the following: significantly raised temperature, excessive sweating, muscle rigidity, non-responsiveness or seizure.”
Please take care this weekend. Ecstasy pills vary in strength & could contain 2+ doses. Pills tested at UK festivals this summer contained 84-230mg MDMA, averaging 149mg (~1½ doses). Orange Teslas (230mg) were implicated in 2 nightclub deaths. Seek medical attention if unwell. pic.twitter.com/KQi88rvuw9
Their full post added: “Please take care this weekend.
“Ecstasy pills vary in strength & could contain 2+ doses. Pills tested at UK festivals this summer contained 84-230mg MDMA, averaging 149mg (~1½ doses).”
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Their warning comes just two days after a coroner said he feared more young people would die due to drugs at festivals.
Coroner Kevin McLoughlin had been speaking at the inquest into the death of David Celino, 16, who died after taking drugs at Leeds Festival last year.
David Celino, who died from drugs at Leeds Festival 2022. Credit: West Yorkshire Police
David was described as a ‘beautiful, fiercely independent’ teen by his heartbroken family after his tragic death.
Parklife co-founder Sacha Lord has also written to the Home Office this week urging it legalise pop-up drug testing – like the work carried out by The Loop – at festivals.
Currently drugs testing providers can only be issued with a Home Office licence if they have a specific, named, permanent premises, rather the portacabins that are commonplace at festival sites.
The body of woman who was found in the River Mersey last year has finally been identified.
Following what has been described as an ‘extensive investigation’ by Greater Manchester Police‘s (GMP) Major Incident Team to determine the identity of the body, which was sadly discovered in the river adjacent to Chorlton Water Park on 21 March 2024, the family of the victim has now been informed and supported by specialist officers.
The victim has been formally named as 38-year-old Laura Stanley, who was originally from Derbyshire but was living in Stockport.
After the body was discovered, and ‘exhaustive and determined’ investigation by GMP officers began to identify here, including detailed checks of both national and international databases.
The Major Incident Team (MIT) also closely worked in collaboration with specialist forensic service providers to create an anthropological profile, which eventually culminated in the creation of a facial reconstruction image.
Following several media appeals, a relative of Laura contacted officers and then a DNA match was confirmed through a familial link.
“Laura was a kind and gentle person with a great sense of fun and adventure,” Laura’s family said in a heartbreaking tribute to her.
“She was generous, thoughtful, caring and always keen to volunteer within the community. Laura was a proud and loving mum and she will be greatly missed by her girls and all of her friends and family who loved her dearly.”
The River Mersey, across from Chorlton Water Park, where Laura’s body was discovered / Credit: Wikimedia Commons
While Laura has now been identified, police say further investigations will take place to understand her last movements, the events that led to her death, and her discovery in the river.
Additionally, as is standard practice, GMP’s Professional Standards Directorate is also reviewing a previous missing report relating to Laura in the time before the discovery of her body, which will determine prior contact relating to Laura, and whether the appropriate measures were enacted.
#UPDATE | A woman who was discovered in the River Mersey last year has been identified following an extensive investigation by officers in GMP’s Major Incident Team.
Thank you to those of you who have shared our appeals over the last year.
Anyone who knew Laura and thinks they may be able to assist with the investigation is asked to contact police by calling 101, or by using the Live Chat Service at gmp.police.uk, quoting log number 1191 of 21 March 2024.
Alternatively, you can contact the Major Incident Team Syndicate 3 directly on 0161 856 9479, or the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
More than 70,000 home buyers across England are estimated to have missed the stamp duty relief deadline.
This sadly means they’ll be required to fork out thousands of pounds extra.
In case you hadn’t heard, up until yesterday (31 March 2025), anyone who was moving and had bought a home in the past was not required to pay Stamp Duty Land Tax, better-known as just stamp duty, on the portion of the property price up to £250,000.
But from today (1 April), this threshold has now fallen back to £125,000, which unfortunately means that property purchasers are facing an extra £2,500 in moving costs, on average.
While the end of the stamp duty relief will mostly affect those Greater Manchester buyers who had already previously purchased properties, first time buyers are sadly not exempt from the deadline changes too, as their current stamp duty threshold of £425,000 has now fallen back to £300,000 as of today.
Person holding the keys to a new house in their hand / Credit: Maria Ziegler (via Unsplash)
Given that the average property price for a first time buyer-type home is currently around £227,965, according to Rightmove, the new £300,000 threshold may hit those purchasing properties in more expensive areas – particularly the South East.
A third of those estimated 70,000 home buyers who have missed the deadline are thought to be first time buyers.
Leading property platform Rightmove published an analysis in February into just how much of an impact the end of the stamp duty relief would have on home buyers, all while calling on the UK Government to announce a short extension to the deadline to help people in the middle of the property purchasing process avoid potentially thousands of pounds in extra moving costs.
But despite these calls from industry leaders, there was no extension to the deadline announced in the last week’s latest Spring Statement.
“It’s extremely disappointing that the Government has not used the Spring Statement as an opportunity to extend the impending stamp duty deadline for those currently going through the home-moving process,” commented Rightmove’s property expert Colleen Babcock.
“We estimate over 70,000 people are going to miss the deadline and complete in April instead, and a third of those are first time buyers.”
Daisy Jackson -
24th August 2023 
