PEOPLE on a night out in Redditch will be the first in Worcestershire to undergo a drugs test before they are allowed into pubs and clubs.

Police will take a new drugs analyser to a pub or club in the town for the first time within the next month.

The machine, funded by Communities Against Drugs through Redditch Community Safety Partnership, will analyse swabs taken from the body or clothing and can detect every illegal drug, including date rape drugs.

And it can also be used to see if anyone has been in contact with explosives.

Sgt Tim Williams said the police were working in partnership with licensees, who were keen to ensure their premises remained drug-free zones.

On Thursday, town centre landlords were told how the analyser worked and how the testing would be carried out.

Sgt Williams said: "We will be testing people as a condition of entry. If someone doesn't want to have a swab taken, they'll not be allowed in.

"If we find a person has been in contact with illegal drugs, we can ask for a further two or three tests. And if we still find traces, we can then carry out a search."

The test takes seven seconds to do and Sgt Williams said they could process about 100 people in an hour.

He added: "We can also take the machine inside clubs and pubs and take swabs from chairs and tables.

"This will allow us to see if there are certain areas where traces of drugs are prevalent. There may be specific areas were drugs are being taken or dealt. We can then set up operations to gain intelligence."

District support officer Pc Eddie Mills said: "This machine has the potential to have a huge impact on the availability of drugs in Redditch and, in turn, the level of crime. Most crime is committed because of drug dependency."