The sale of laughing gas to the public will be banned as part of a wider crackdown on antisocial behaviour, a Cabinet minister has confirmed.

Levelling-Up Secretary Michael Gove said the “scourge” of nitrous oxide was turning public spaces into “drug-taking arenas” and was helping fuel anti-social behaviour that ministers are determined to stamp out.

The ban comes despite an assessment by the independent Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) concluding it would be disproportionate to bring in an outright ban given the level of harm associated with nitrous oxide.

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But Mr Gove said he agreed with a view pushed by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Home Secretary Suella Braverman that tougher action was required.

Read more: Evening Standard