No Laughing Matter

No Laughing Matter is the name of a campaign by Tower Hamlets Council, Tower Hamlets Police and Tower Hamlets Homes to help tackle some of the problems caused by nitrous oxide.

It follows complaints from residents that antisocial behaviour linked to the taking of nitrous oxide, otherwise known as laughing gas, has become a significant concern within the borough.

Residents say that it can be intimidating to see groups of people taking it, causes noise nuisance and it is also a litter problem because small metal canisters containing it are often left discarded. The police have also received reports of people taking it while behind the wheel of a car. Indeed the Love Wapping website has documented several car crashes where the use of nitrous oxide has been implicated.

The issues and actions are detailed in this leaflet.

What you can do to help:

Illegal Sale: The council’s Trading Standards Team are working with the police to tackle retail outlets that sell gas to people who misuse it. You can report an outlet to the Trading Standard team by emailing tradingstandards@towerhamlets.gov.uk

Littering: If canisters are in streets or parks please use the Fix My Street app/website as this will help MEOTRA see hotspots and nudge the powers that be to target these. Alternatively you can report them to the council’s street cleaning team on 020 7364 5004. 

As part of the campaign, the partners will also be educating people about what the substance is and the risks to health; and talking to school children about the dangers of nitrous oxide