EXCLUSIVE: Eight people have received medical attention in the past fortnight after taking a potentially lethal form of crystallised MDMA (Ecstasy) at raves in empty Newham buildings.

Police are warning revellers not to take the drug which caused three people to be admitted to hospital on Friday night after an illegal rave at an empty unit in Hillcroft Road, Beckton.

Five people were affected the previous weekend following a party at a disused building in E16.

It is unconfirmed at this stage whether the drugs were from the same batch.

All of the victims suffered severe paranoia.

Det Ch Insp Alan Moore, from Newham Police, said: “Buying unknown drugs from any source is very dangerous – you have absolutely no idea what is in them. Do not take any drugs offered to you as this could have fatal consequences.

“I would urge anyone who bought the drug on Friday to contact police on 101 and under no circumstances take this drug.”

Up to 200 people are thought to have attended Friday’s rave in an empty unit at London Industrial Park.

Empty bottles and cans were left strewn all over the estate, along with cups, trolleys and deflated balloons.

A spokesman for the unit’s letting agents said it was the second time that the building had been broken into in the past month.

“Our client is in the process of making the unit more secure and employing a security guard,” he added.

Local neighbourhood policing officers are also working with the local authority to check whether there is any way of preventing events of this kind taking place.

Anyone with information about the sale of illegal drugs should call police on 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.