A 'quiet and lovely girl' who lived in a small rural market town was named yesterday as the latest suspected victim of the deadly 'legal high' mephedrone.

The death of 24-year-old Lois Waters, a bacon factory worker, was confirmed as MPs attacked Home Secretary Alan Johnson for his continued failure to ban the so-called party drug.

Meow meow, as it is nicknamed, has now been linked to at least six deaths.



Found dead: Lois Waters, 24, is believed to have taken party drug mephedrone - known as Meow Meow - in the lead up to her death

The Government's chief drugs advisor has hinted that his committee will announce the drug should be made a Class B banned substance.

But it could take several months to complete the classification process.



Police investigating Miss Waters's death warned of the nationwide threat posed by mephedrone, which is marketed as a plant food and is widely available online.

Detective Chief Insp Nigel Costello, of North Yorkshire Police, said: 'I don't think people should be under the misconception that it's only readily available in big cities. It isn't - it's available in small market towns also.'

Miss Waters's body was found at a friend's house in Norton, North Yorkshire, on Monday.

Family and friends said she had been taking mephedrone 'freely' in the 48 hours leading up to her death, possibly with other substances.



Missed: Miss Water's family today described her as a 'really lovely girl'



Her tearful mother, Alison, said last night the death of her daughter was devastating and that she was a 'really lovely girl'.

The chairman of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, Les Iversen hinted the drug would be banned.

He told the home affairs committee that it was 'amphetamines by another name'.

Putting it in the same class as amphetamines - Class B - would mean carrying the drug would be punishable with a jail term of up to five years and dealing in it with up to 14 years.

His committee's report will be published on Monday, but the mother of a girl killed by another 'legal high' has already stepped up her campaign for emergency banning powers.

Maryon Stewart - whose daughter Hester, 21, died after taking dance drug GBL - sent a mini-manifesto to all political parties detailing the action needed to protect youngsters.

Last week meow meow was linked to the deaths of Louis Wainwright, 18, and Nicholas Smith, 19, in Scunthorpe.