Girls, 12, stable after taking 'Teddy' ecstasy in Salford Published duration 19 June 2016

image caption Police were called to Salford Precinct after the 12-year-old was found to be overdosing

Three 12-year-old girls rushed to hospital after taking "Teddy" ecstasy tablets in Salford are now in a stable condition.

Officers believe the children took the drug after it was mixed in a bottle of soft drink.

Greater Manchester Police said a man and a woman have been arrested on suspicion of being in possession of a controlled substance.

They are being held in custody for questioning.

It is thought the girls are among the youngest people in the UK to have fallen ill after taking the drug.

Officers were called to Salford Precinct on Saturday night amid reports a girl was overdosing and later found her two friends.

The force is investigating how they got hold of the tablets.

Last month, a 17-year-old girl died in Greater Manchester after suffering an adverse reaction to ecstasy. Two people arrested in connection with her death are on bail.

image caption The Salford detective is outraged that the girls were given ecstasy and apparently consumed it in a drink bottle

Police were called by North West Ambulance Service at about 22:00 BST while paramedics treated one of the girls, who they suspected of having overdosed.

They found one of the girls at the precinct, one in Belvedere Road, Salford, and the third girl was found about an hour later in Trafford Road. The girl at the precinct told police about her two friends.

Det Ch Insp Chris Walker said he hopes they will make "a full recovery".

"Sadly, three more young people, who are only 12-years-old, have taken ecstasy and ended up in hospital," he said.

"I am really concerned that children are now coming into contact with controlled drugs and they are now taking them on the streets of Salford."

image copyright Getty Images image caption Two girls, 12, are seriously ill in hospital after taking ecstasy, while another is under observation

He added: "It is imperative young people understand the implications and avoid taking drugs, to stop any more young people ending up in hospital."