BRITAIN'S newest Class A psychedelic drug has spread across the country, new evidence has shown.

The first two people in the North-East to be arrested with possessing the drugs 2C-I and 5-Meo-DIPT have now been charged.

The drugs have been described as the new ecstasy and have been used for several years in the US.

However, the first publicised arrests in Britain were not made until last month, when US police tipped off British counterparts that the drugs had been sold to UK customers on the Internet.

A 28-year-old man and 21-year-old woman in Redcar, east Cleveland, have been charged with possession of the drugs.

Websites selling the drugs were shut down in the US when two users died and a number of others needed hospital treatment.

It is believed that the drugs, especially 2C-I, are being increasingly used on the UK dance scene. They are so new they do not have street names.

Experienced drugs enforcement officers were at first unable to identify the drugs when they made the arrests in November. The pair have been charged following forensic tests. They were charged with possession with intent to supply Class A drugs.

Detective Constable Clare Lawson, of Cleveland Police, said: "These new drugs are potentially lethal.

"What is more, they could easily be confused with other drugs, which could lead to overdosing."