A PARAMEDIC has raised the alarm about the deadly grip the Black Mamba drug has on the city.

Christine Gill, aged 50, said the former 'legal high' is becoming increasingly popular in Worcester and people are dying as a result.

The West Midlands Ambulance Service employee thinks the drug is more addictive than heroin and urged users to seek help.

We published pictures of Black Mamba users earlier this week slumped across benches in the city centre, showing the devastating toll it is having on the city.

Ms Gill, from Worcester, said: "The issue in Worcester is growing. You are only going to wind up in one place if you carry on taking it.

"I've conveyed many people into the resuscitation department that have taken it. The outcome is not good, people have died. It can cause death quite easily.

"It's heartbreaking going out to people that are doing this to their bodies and putting their own lives at risk by taking this awful substance.

"As a clinician I'd say Mamba is becoming more frequent than heroin and that's frightening.

"It's very addictive, more so than heroin I believe. Heroin is a very dangerous drug but if you get there in time you can help them."

Ms Gill said paramedics have an antidote for heroin, called Narcan, whereas they do not have one for Black Mamba.

She added: "We just do what we can to save their life really.

"The trouble with Black Mamba is we don't always know what we are dealing with, they [the patient] might not be in a condition to tell us they have taken it.

"Heroin has its signs. You can't smell Mamba like weed. There's no test for it. You go into it totally blind.

"They can be semi-comatose, vomiting, in full-blown cardiac arrest or in a fit. It can lead to long-term illness and death."

Ms Gill said she recently treated to a man, in his 60s, in Worcester and only found out he had smoked Black Mamba because his friend told her he had a history with the drug.

The paramedic blasted the stereotype of users as homeless people, claiming she had dealt with many 'professional' individuals who had taken Black Mamba.

She thinks she has personally attended more than 10 incidents in Worcestershire involving the drug so far this year.

West Mercia Police Chief Inspector Mel Crowther previously said: “West Mercia Police is committed to dealing with drug-related criminal activity.

"Black Mamba is a controlled substance and our officers work hard to enforce the law as it stands.

“We work closely with Swanswell, a national alcohol and drugs recovery charity, to refer offenders to get the help they need to tackle their addiction.

“We really want the local community to work with us by reporting any suspicious activity."

Black Mamba, a synthetic marijuana, was banned with other 'legal highs' in 2016.

Anyone with information about drug offences in the area can ring West Mercia Police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.