GAZETTE & HERALD:A REVOLUTIONARY drug-testing machine was used in a Chippenham nightclub on Saturday to get across the message that illegal substances are not welcome.

Manager John Drew at Buds 2000, on Station Hill invited police officers to test customers as they entered the premises.

No drugs were found and no arrests were made as a result of the testing.

However, Inspector Neil Bagnall of Chippenham police said the machine was so sensitive it could pick up traces of drugs from a handshake or a cash note, and out of the 216 people randomly checked on the night, there were 30 positive readings.

A handful of people were refused entry when the machine flagged up a concerning amount of drugs, but the majority were allowed in if the police were satisfied it was a minimal trace that could have been picked up from anywhere.

Mr Drew, who has been at the club for almost six years said: "We take a very hard stand on drugs. We will not tolerate it. It's an unfortunate thing in society today.

"We want to show our public we are deadly serious. We've already had feedback from our customers and we've had a great response."

Ten officers including special constables were involved in the operation at the weekend.

Using the £33,000 machine they swept clubbers' hands. They were able to see whether people had been in contact with a variety of drugs including marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy and heroin.

Mr Drew came up with the idea and approached his directors about a police visit. He said he now hoped the police would carry out regular checks at the club.

"In the near future we'll arrange another visit. We would like to try and keep it as regular as possible, maybe every three or four months, which will get the message across."