EXTRA-PURE heroin that kills in seconds is thought to have claimed another life in Brighton.

A33-year-old man found dead at his Kemp Town home yesterday died so quickly the needle was still stuck in his arm.

There have now been five overdoses, two of them fatal, in 24 hours, and police, paramedics and hospital staff are bracing themselves for more over the weekend.

The heroin has not been "cut" with the usual substances like talc or scouring powder.

Addicts more used to lower purity are taking the super-strength drug in the same quantity and emergency services today warned users to take extra care.

Sussex Ambulance senior manager Phil Corsi said: "We in no way condone the use of illicit drugs but we must warn addicts to be careful. This is very strong stuff."

A man in his thirties died from a suspected heroin overdose at a flat in Hollingbury on Thursday but another user with him survived.

At the same time, two overdose victims were found close to death in The Level, Brighton. They were saved by paramedics and 28-year-old Oliver Clark, who raised the alarm.

Mr Clark, who found them slumped unconscious, praised paramedics who quickly administered a heroin antidote called Narcan.

One of the town's drug hot spots is The Level, where 180 syringes were found in bushes in a month.

Brighton and Hove Council and the police are planning radical changes, including reducing the height of hedges, improving lighting, setting up an area especially for so-called graffiti artists, and providing night-time police patrols.

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