A cutting-edge nitrous oxide breathalyser, believed to be the first of its kind in the world, is being trialled by police in Hampshire.

The portable device is being tested to see whether it can detect drivers under the influence of nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas or NOS.

If successful, the technology could lead to motorists being prosecuted for drug-driving offences.

The trial is being backed by the family of a teenage boy killed in a crash caused by a driver inhaling the drug behind the wheel.

Nitrous oxide is a Class C drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and offenders can face up to two years in prison for possessing it for unlawful use.

Police say driving under the influence of the drug is an emerging threat to road safety, with use linked to unconsciousness, neurological damage and even death caused by oxygen deprivation.

In one case, three teenage boys were killed when a car crashed into a tree on the A415 in Oxfordshire in 2023.

Driver Thomas Johnson, 18, had been filmed inhaling laughing gas moments before the crash in Marcham. He was travelling at speeds of up to 100mph when the BMW hit a tree, killing passengers Ethan Goddard, Daniel Hancock, both 18, and Elliot Pullen, 17.

Acting Superintendent Emma Hart, of the Joint Operations Roads Policing Unit of Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary, said: “There is currently no device available that can prove a driver inhaled laughing gas, making prosecution difficult.

“That is why our forces are leading this testing phase, to break new ground and prove these devices can help save lives on our roads.

“Nitrous oxide is a growing issue, especially with young drivers who do not understand the harm it can cause, so when we saw the opportunity to test this new technology we knew how important it could be towards the devices being rolled out across the country.

The device was created by Respira Technologies following research at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and is believed to be one of a kind.

Drivers simply breathe into the portable device and receive a result within minutes. Police say it can detect nitrous oxide use up to two hours afterwards.