Crack pipes are being sold from vending machines in the US as the drug problem in areas of New York spirals.

Residents in Long Island have expressed outrage at the appearance of metal boxes – selling two-dollar ceramic tubes.

The so-called 'Sketch Pen' vending machines are actually re-purposed after they were once used to sell tampons, police confirmed.

The machines in Suffolk County New York, are illegal and have been installed by drug dealers themselves, or someone spotting a gap in the thriving market, police said.

For eight quarters people can buy the 'pens' consisting of a pipe and a filter.

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Crack pipe vending machines selling 'sketch pens' for drug users to smoke drugs in have appeared on Long Island

Suffolk County Police Department are investigating the machines which they believe were stolen from public bathrooms.

'At first, we were like, 'Could this be a joke?' But then we saw how intricate it was and realized it wasn't a joke,' Michael Loguercio, councilman for Brookhaven Town District 4, told The New York Post.

Residents have been shocked by the machines in the county which suffers from huge drug related issues.

Between 2009 and 2013 there were 337 heroin-related deaths, more than any other county in New York State.

US media have described the problem as a constant 'battle' for the authorities.

'Wow you learn something new everyday Suffolk County on the side of the road next to bus stops a crack pipe vending machine really'

Anthony Minichini, a Suffolk Country resident, spotted one machine near a bus stop.

He said: 'Wow you learn something new every day. Suffolk County on the side of the road next to bus stops a crack pipe vending machine really.'

The 'sketch pens' are sold on the streets, outside shopping centres and apartment buildings around Long Island.

There have been at least three found, including one in front of a Home Depot in Coram.

'People that were selling crack, obviously there was trouble from their potential users getting crack pipes, and they thought this would be an ingenious solution,' said Brookhaven Town Supervisor Ed Romaine.