Teenagers who have abused drugs are to be given mobile phones to send advice to their peers by text message.

The phones and pay-as-you-go cards have been supplied to 15 teenagers so they can warn others of the dangers of drugs and give advice.

They will spread the message that drugs can destroy youngsters' sex lives, brain power and mental health.

The move is part of the Talking Drugs campaign launched today.

It comes in the wake of research showing drug-related deaths in Brighton and Hove are the highest in England and Wales.

The research reveals that children in the city have taken heroin and crack cocaine and that drug misuse in Brighton and Hove is greater than in parts of inner London.

The three-month £55,000 Government campaign aims to discourage 15 to 19-year-olds from taking heroin, ecstasy, LSD and alcohol.

The youngsters involved will take part in a peer training programme.

They will go into schools to talk about the effects drugs have had on their lives as well as distributing leaflets on the Palace Pier and in shopping areas and leisure centres.

They will also send emails to thousands of vulnerable teenagers on computers provided by Southern Water.

The advice they will give centres on reducing harm by recommending youngsters to tell someone else which drugs they have taken, not to overdo it the first time and to call an ambulance if anything goes wrong.

Chris Parfitt, the Youth and Community Service area team leader for central Brighton, said: "The age of young people experimenting with drugs is falling, so it is vital they receive up-to-date, relevant and accurate information about drugs, including alcohol.

"It doesn't matter how that information is expressed, it just needs to work.

"Some are really into mobile phones and the internet and they may be excited to receive drug information in this way. But in the long run we need to work with the police on seizures, and change attitudes and provide alternative entertainment for young people."

Run by East Sussex, Brighton and Hove Health Authority, Talking Drugs is one of 24 test projects funded by the Department of Health which will be used to formulate a national drugs policy.

Terry Blair-Stevens, the health authority's principal health promotions manager, said: "Research we have done with 40 youngsters in the city showed there are a lot of reasons why young people take drugs.

"Many of the young people have said it is easier to get drugs than get a pint in a pub."