Breath tests for drugs

• Portable device could be used by police
• Can detect drugs within five minutes
• Current subjective roadside tests under fire

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Breathalyser-type testing for drugged drivers is a step closer with the launch of a new hand-held device that can test for drugs within minutes.

Officials from the Home Office and the Department for Transport will be shown the device with a view to it being adopted by police nationwide.

The Drug Detection System takes just 30 seconds to take a saliva sample and can detect the presence of five drugs, including heroin, cannabis and cocaine, within five minutes.

Currently, there are no scientific roadside tests for motorists suspected of drugged driving. Instead traffic police ask drivers to take more subjective Field Impairment Tests, which includes walking in a straight line or reciting tongue twisters.

These tests came under fire last month when University of Glasgow research found that a third of drivers with drugs in their system, in some cases heroin, passed the tests.