THIS picture shows the shocking sight of dozens of tiny gas canisters, which can be used as part of recreational drug use, abandoned on the side of the road.

The discarded canisters were found on the A38 in Upton-upon-Severn.

The small containers are legal to buy, and are used as a way to inflate objects such as balloons.

However, in the wrong hands, a ‘high’ can be achieved with the 'laughing gas' or nitrous oxide.

On the community Facebook page Upton Parish Notice Board, members took to airing their frustrations and one member had spotted balloons in the pile.

Von Drinkwater said: “Disgusting - what are people like.”

Karl OJ Godsell said: “What’s the generation coming too.”

Charley E Charley said: “Nitrous oxide can be fatal. I know a friend’s son who died on this, it is no joke.”

Janet Wiggins said: “That is a lot - very worrying.”

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Luci Woodward said: “Looks like whipped cream canisters - people use them to get high.”

Cllr Shirley Dobbin, the deputy mayor of Upton-upon-Severn, said: “ These canisters are dangerous, and I urge anyone who finds them not to touch the canisters and report to the council so we can clear them away as quickly as possible.”

A spokesman for the drug support charity Talk to Frank, said: “It is very dangerous to inhale nitrous oxide directly from the canister, and doing it in an enclosed space is also very dangerous.”

Inhaling the gas, which is also used in a clinical setting for pain relief, can lead to death.

Although legal to buy, supplying this drug for recreational use is illegal.

A spokesman for West Mercia Police said: ““Regarding concerns around laughing gas, we have not had reports directly to us at this time but we have recently introduced reporting of crime and anti-social behaviour on our website.

"We would encourage anyone to use this platform.”