THREE people have been arrested on suspicion of possessing drugs after they were caught by a state-of-the-art detection system at a Salisbury nightclub.

The Chapel on Milford Street has become the first club in the country to buy a £30,000 ion track itemiser for the police and it is already proving to be a useful weapon in the war on drugs.

The machine, which can detect all Class A,B and C substances, as well as date rape drugs, will now be used at pubs and clubs throughout the district.

Bosses at The Chapel decided to buy it for Salisbury Police after a successful trial with a similar drugs detection system owned by Wiltshire Constabulary last autumn.

Mike Lambert, general manager of The Chapel, said: "We had the machine here and it was a good deterrent but we could only have it for a night because it had to shared across all the venues in Wiltshire.

"There was no way Salisbury police could afford one on their own so the owner of The Chapel offered to buy it for them.

"It will be their machine to use anywhere in the Salisbury area where they feel it is needed.

"It is a lot of money but we felt it was important to send out a strong warning that people who are doing drugs should not come to Salisbury."

The machine works by swiping clubbers' hands and analysing substances with which they have come into contact.

Within seconds it can detect anyone who has touched drugs in the last three or four days, even if they have washed their hands.

People with a high reading are asked if they consent to be searched by police officers who will make an arrest if they discover illegal substances.

"The machine is very sensitive and accurate," added Mr Lambert.

"It is a good deterrent, there are people who leave the queue when they see it.

"Drugs are not a big problem in Salisbury but this machine will help us to keep it that way."

On Saturday night two local men, who had been standing in the queue and refused to go through the machine, were stopped in the street as they walked away from The Chapel.

After being searched, they were found in possession of ecstasy tablets and both were arrested and released on bail pending further inquiries.

Another man was arrested after the machine showed a high level of cocaine.

He was searched and found to be carrying a quantity of white powder and released on bail.

Police licensing officer Vanda Hall said: "We are very pleased The Chapel has bought this machine for Salisbury police. We hope to start using it for more operations, both in the daytime and at night, as soon as possible."