Staff at a Royal Mail delivery office tucked into chocolate bars believed to have fallen out of a package but then realised they were laced with drugs.

Three members of staff at the Royal Mail’s delivery office in Brighton’s North Road reportedly shared the sweet treats.

But minutes later they began to feel the effects of the edibles and experienced panic attacks.

Colleagues said they discovered the chocolate was laced with drugs when they saw it written on the packaging. Ambulances attended the delivery offices and the trio were taken to hospital for treatment.

Royal Mail said they investigated the incident but that no disciplinary action was taken.

Speaking about the incident which took place in the December “Christmas rush”, one member of staff said:  “I came back to a very excited office. There were some people acting very strange after eating that chocolate.

“I imagine it was quite scary for them, but at the same time if someone gave me a chocolate bar like that I would probably read the packet."

The investigation tried to determine whether the chocolate bars had fallen out of a parcel.

Sources from within the Royal Mail delivery office said that normally when the contents of packages come loose during sorting, they are placed on a podium so they can be re-united with their packaging at a later point.

Royal Mail policy states that loose items are then placed in a "damage bag" and delivered.

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Chocolate bar “edibles” such as the one believed to have been consumed by Royal Mail staff are infused with THC, the active ingredient in cannabis.

Eating the chocolate bars are said to provide stronger and longer-lasting effects than smoking cannabis. Some bars contain the equivalent of triple the dose that a cannabis "joint" would.

A spokeswoman for Royal Mail confirmed the incident happened, adding: "An investigation took place but the origin of the chocolate bars was not determined."