Customers of a website selling legal highs were tracked by Sussex Police and hand-delivered letters telling them they were “playing Russian Roulette with their lives”.

Sussex Police confirmed to The Argus it passed the letters onto four people, two in Brighton and two in Hastings, who had bought off the Wide Mouth Frog website.

The website no longer operates and subsequently could not be contacted.

Officers also visited seven ‘head shops’ in Sussex – where legal highs are sold.

A Sussex Police spokesman said: “Two 'head shops', which were believed to sell or advertise such products, were visited by officers in Hastings.

“Five such shops were visited in Brighton and Hove. All were very cooperative and are open to any future joint visits by police and Trading Standards.

“Letters were hand delivered to four customers of the Wide Mouth Frog website, two in East Sussex and two in Brighton. The letters contained advice given to the customers about possible legal ramifications and health risks associated with 'legal highs'.

“Purchasers were told that they were identified as having ordered products advertised on the website which advertised their products as 'legal highs' that are not in fact fit for human consumption.”

Police said the letter which was hand delivered specifically told people they were ‘playing Russian Roulette with their lives, their health and their careers’.

The spokesman said the term legal high is also often misleading because many legal highs, or new psychoactive substances, are in fact illegal.

He said: “The purchase of these drugs is an offence. Commission of such an offence can lead to arrest, prosecution and a criminal record. Such a record could have a damaging effect on careers or job prospects.”

The spokesman added: “And just because a substance is legal to possess, it doesn’t mean it’s safe.”

In the past year 52 deaths across the country in the last year have been linked to the purchase of so called ‘legal highs’.

In addition other damaging health issues have been experienced including paranoid states, psychosis, hallucinations, coma and seizures.