Police fear revellers are mixing cough medicines with illegal drugs as part of a deadly new craze.

Officers yesterday warned the public to avoid the combination after an 18-year-old student from Hastings died after taking over-the-counter medication and the Class A drug MDMA.

A post mortem has revealed Kate McLaughlin, who had just finished her A-levels at Bexhill College and was preparing to go to university, was killed by the mixture.

Last night her mother, Pauleen McLaughlin, appealed for anyone who knew how her daughter had taken the substances to contact herself or Sussex Police.

Two people have been arrested and questioned by police on suspicion of supplying the drugs involved in the death.

Both have been released on bail while officers carry out further inquiries.