Police shut down 'drugs' factory

A suspected crystal meth laboratory in Manchester has been closed down by police.

Two men were arrested following the raid at a flat in the Northern Quarter of the city centre. Police found equipment and chemicals thought to be concerned with the production of methamphetamine.

The men, aged 32 and 34, are being questioned on suspicion of production of a controlled substance. Detective Sergeant Paul Copplestone, from North Manchester CID, said: "The lab was safely dismantled and as a precaution the fire service were called to ensure the safety of the substance, which can be dangerous in large quantities."

The highly addictive drug, which has debilitating side-effects, has ravaged communities in the US.