A legal party drug blamed for the death of a popular student is to be banned after her family campaigned for it to be outlawed.

Hester Stewart, 21, died earlier this year after taking the substance GBL at a party in Brighton.

Her family have since lobbied the Government to make it a Class A drug.

The substance, which is restricted in a number of EU countries, is currently unclassified and is easily and cheaply available on the internet and shops.

Hester's parents, Maryon and Dr Alan Stewart, along with her sister Phoebe, met the Home Secretary Alan Johnson last month.

Now Mr Johnson has confirmed to the Home Affairs select committee that a current consultation “will at the very least ban this drug for human consumption.”

The consultation is due to finish this summer, with statutory processes planned to take place in October, It is likely that GBL will become a Class C drug.

Hester’s mother Mrs Stewart had previously told The Argus she wanted people to be more aware of the potentially deadly substance.

Speaking after her high profile meeting with the Home Secretary in June she said: “I want to see a wider awareness and education campaign. GBL is on the market for 50p a dose, which is cheaper than alcohol.”

Dr and Mrs Stewart said GBL had been banned for personal use in America, Canada and Sweden several years ago "due to its potential to be lethal when combined with alcohol".

They added: "In France and Germany night clubs have clear signs informing the public that GBL and GHB when combined with alcohol equal death.”

GBL - gamma-butyrolactone - is converted in the stomach into GHB, a well-known drug commonly known as "liquid ecstasy" which emerged on the party scene in the 1990s and was banned in 2003.

The dangers of both were highlighted in a report last March by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA).

The report found that GBL - which is also used as an industrial solvent - was becoming increasingly popular as a recreational drug.

It said: "GBL is both easier to obtain and cheaper than many illicit drugs and is now being used and sold as a substitute for GHB.

"There are already reports of direct consumption of GBL resulting in hospital emergency admissions."

Toxicology tests showed Hester, a molecular medicine student at Sussex University who was on track for a first class degree, died after taking the drug with alcohol.

Police are investigating whether she unknowingly took GBL .

Hester died while partying with friends in April. She had been to an awards ceremony with her cheerleading squad, the Brighton and Sussex Waves. Afterwards she went to a party at a house in Ladysmith Road, Brighton, where she was found dead the following morning.

An inquest into her death will take place on Thursday.