ONE man died and another was left in a life-threatening condition after apparently taking a Class B drug in Somerset, police say.

Avon and Somerset Police have issued a warning about the dangers of synthetic cannabis - known as Spice.

They say a 31-year-old man died on January 28, while a 48-year-old man was taken to hospital after suffering a cardiac arrest last Thursday (February 8). He was described as "critical but stable".

A force spokesman said: "The men are believed to have taken the Class B drug and we’re investigating the circumstances around the incidents, which both happened in Weston-super-Mare.

"A 30-year-old man and a 45-year-old woman have been arrested in connection with the first incident and have been released under investigation while our enquiries continue."

Peter Collins, of the Drug Expert Action Team, said: “We’ve seen a number of serious incidents in in the past few weeks and are warning people not to take Spice.

“If you take synthetic cannabinoids you are playing Russian roulette with your health.

“Synthetic cannabinoids can leave you at a grave risk of suffering serious ill health and can even prove fatal.”

For further advice on synthetic cannabinoids click here.